Definition

1. Noun:

   • Fault: In geology and geography, "đứt gãy" refers to a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. These blocks move relative to each other, which can cause earthquakes. This is a technical term.
   • Break, rupture: More generally, it can describe a state of being broken, severed, or interrupted in a linear or structural sense.

2. Verb (less common): To be broken, to rupture, to sever. This usage is derived from the noun form and describes the action of breaking apart along a line or plane.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Động đất thường xảy ra dọc theo các đới đứt gãy. (Earthquakes often occur along fault zones.)
  • Các nhà địa chất học đang nghiên cứu một đứt gãy lớn trong khu vực. (Geologists are studying a major fault in the region.)
  • Sự đứt gãy trong đường dây cáp quang đã làm gián đoạn liên lạc. (The rupture in the fiber optic cable disrupted communications.)

• Verb:

  • Mối liên hệ giữa hai gia đình đã hoàn toàn đứt gãy. (The connection between the two families has been completely severed.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đới đứt gãy" (Fault zone): A broad zone of associated fractures and faults.

  • Khu vực này nằm trong một đới đứt gãy phức tạp. (This area lies within a complex fault zone.)

• "Đứt gãy thuận", "Đứt gãy nghịch", "Đứt gãy trượt bằng": Specific types of faults (normal fault, reverse fault, strike-slip fault).

  • San Andreas là một đứt gãy trượt bằng nổi tiếng. (San Andreas is a famous strike-slip fault.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đứt đoạn (adj): Interrupted, discontinuous. Focuses more on the interruption of a sequence or process rather than a physical fracture.

  • Tín hiệu bị đứt đoạn. (The signal is intermittent.)

• Gãy (v): To break (often for long, thin, or hard objects like bones, sticks).

  • Anh ấy bị gãy chân. (He broke his leg.)

• Nứt (v/n): To crack, to fissure. Often implies a crack without complete separation, or on a surface.

  • Bức tường bị nứt. (The wall is cracked.)

Synonyms

• Vết nứt (n): Crack, fissure.
• Sự đứt (n): The act or state of breaking/severance.
• Sự gãy (n): The act or state of breaking (like a bone).

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Phát hiện đứt gãy: To detect a fault.

  • Máy đo địa chấn giúp phát hiện các đứt gãy ẩn. (Seismometers help detect hidden faults.)

• Hoạt động của đứt gãy: Fault activity.

  • Hoạt động của đứt gãy này vẫn đang được giám sát. (The activity of this fault is still being monitored.)

Related Idioms

Note: "Đứt gãy" itself is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions due to its technical nature. However, its root words can be found in idioms. - Đứt tay (lit. to cut one's hand): A very minor injury or problem. - Việc đó dễ như đứt tay. (That task is as easy as pie. / lit. as easy as cutting a hand.) - Gãy cánh (lit. to have a broken wing): To be defeated or to fail. - Ước mơ của anh ta đã gãy cánh. (His dream was shattered.)

1. (địa lý) Fault