Definition

Noun: - Ridge-beam: The main horizontal wooden beam placed at the highest point of a roof, running along the length of the ridge and connecting the main columns in the central part of a traditional Vietnamese house. It is a crucial structural component in traditional wooden architecture.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ngôi nhà cổ này vẫn còn giữ nguyên cây đòn dông bằng gỗ lim. (This ancient house still retains its ironwood ridge-beam.)
  • Đòn dông là thanh xà quan trọng nhất trên nóc nhà. (The ridge-beam is the most important beam on the house's roof.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm đòn dông": To act as the main support or pillar; to be the most important person (figurative, derived from the structural role of the beam).
  • Ông ấy là cây đòn dông của cả gia đình. (He is the ridge-beam [the main pillar/support] of the entire family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xà nhà (n): Roof beam; a general term for beams in a house's roof structure.
• Kèo (n): Rafter; a sloping beam supporting the roof.
• Cột (n): Column; a vertical structural element.

Synonyms

• Ridgepole (n): Another term for the main beam along the ridge of a roof.
• Roof ridge beam (n): A descriptive synonym.

Related Idioms

• "Nên kèo nên cột nên xà đòn dông": (Proverb) Literally "to properly form the rafters, columns, beams, and ridge-beam". It means to build a solid foundation for a family or household, ensuring all essential elements are properly established for prosperity and stability.

noun

1. ridge-beam