Definition

1. Noun:
   • Main road, highway: A large, important public road that connects cities, towns, or regions, typically designed for significant traffic volumes and higher speeds.
   • Thoroughfare: A primary road or public passageway through a populated area.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Xe tải thường chạy trên đường cái. (Trucks often run on the main road.)
  • Làng tôi nằm cạnh một con đường cái lớn. (My village is located next to a major highway.)
  • Anh ấy đang đợi ở bên đường cái. (He is waiting by the main road.)

Advanced Usage

• "đường cái quan": This is a classical/literary term for an important, often ancient, main road or mandarin road.
  • Con đường cái quan xưa nay đã thành quốc lộ. (The old mandarin road has now become a national highway.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quốc lộ (n): National highway. A road numbered and maintained by the national government.
• Đại lộ (n): Boulevard, avenue. A wide street in a city, often with trees or landscaping.
• Xa lộ (n): Expressway, freeway. A high-speed, multi-lane divided highway with controlled access.

Synonyms

• Đường lớn: Big road.
• Trục đường chính: Main traffic artery/route.

Related Phrases

• Đầu đường cái: At the head/start of the main road.
  • Cửa hàng nằm ở đầu đường cái. (The shop is located at the start of the main road.)
• Ra đường cái: To go out to/onto the main road.
  • Từ ngõ nhỏ, đi thêm 100 mét là ra đường cái. (From the small alley, go another 100 meters and you'll reach the main road.)

Related Idioms

• Đường cái không đi, đi đường quanh: (Lit: Doesn't take the main road, takes the roundabout way). This idiom criticizes someone for not choosing the simple, direct, or correct method, opting instead for a complicated or inefficient one.
  • Cứ làm đơn giản thôi, đừng có đường cái không đi, đi đường quanh. (Just keep it simple, don't avoid the straightforward way and take a convoluted path.)

1. Highway