Definition

1. Noun:
   • Clay: A type of fine-grained natural soil material that is plastic when wet and hard when dried or fired. It is composed primarily of minerals and is often used for making pottery, bricks, and ceramics.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người thợ gốm đang nhào nặn đất sét. (The potter is kneading the clay.)
  • Đất sét là nguyên liệu chính để làm gạch. (Clay is the main material for making bricks.)
  • Bọn trẻ thích nặn tượng bằng đất sét. (The children like sculpting figures with clay.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đất sét nung": Fired clay; clay that has been hardened by heat in a kiln.
  • Những viên gạch đất sét nung rất bền. (Bricks made of fired clay are very durable.)
• "Đất sét dẻo": Plastic clay; clay with high plasticity suitable for molding.
  • Người thợ cần đất sét dẻo để tạo hình chi tiết. (The artisan needs plastic clay to shape details.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sét (n): This is a shortened, more technical or colloquial form of "đất sét," often used in compound terms.
  • Đồ gốm sét. (Clay pottery.)
• Đất thó (n): A regional or less common synonym for "đất sét."
• Đất sét Trung Quốc (n): China clay; kaolin, a fine white clay used especially for porcelain.

Synonyms

• Argile (n): A loanword from French, used in more technical or artistic contexts.
• Đất dẻo (n): Literally "plastic earth," emphasizing its malleable property.

Related Phrases

• Nặn đất sét: To model/mold clay.
  • Hoạt động nặn đất sét giúp trẻ phát triển kỹ năng vận động tinh. (The activity of modeling clay helps children develop fine motor skills.)
• Lò nung đất sét: A kiln for firing clay.
  • Sản phẩm sau khi tạo hình sẽ được đưa vào lò nung đất sét. (After shaping, the product will be placed in the clay-firing kiln.)

Related Idioms

• Dẻo như đất sét: As pliable as clay; used to describe someone or something very easy to influence or shape.
  • Cậu bé ấy nghe lời, dẻo như đất sét. (That boy is obedient, as pliable as clay.)

1. Clay