Cửu Long
Definition
- Proper Noun:
- The Mekong River: In Vietnamese, "Cửu Long" is the primary name for the Mekong River, the major trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. The name translates to "Nine Dragons," poetically referring to the river's nine main distributaries as it flows into the sea.
- A former province: "Cửu Long" was also the name of a former Vietnamese province (1976-1991) in the Mekong Delta region, formed from the merger of Vĩnh Long and Trà Vinh provinces.
Usage Examples
Proper Noun (River):
- Sông Cửu Long là một con sông quan trọng ở Đông Nam Á. (The Mekong River is an important river in Southeast Asia.)
- Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long rất màu mỡ. (The Mekong Delta is very fertile.)
Proper Noun (Province):
- Tỉnh Cửu Long cũ nay đã tách thành hai tỉnh Vĩnh Long và Trà Vinh. (The former Cửu Long province has now been split into two provinces: Vĩnh Long and Trà Vinh.)
Advanced Usage
- "Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long": This is the standard term for the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
- Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long là vựa lúa của cả nước. (The Mekong Delta is the rice bowl of the entire country.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sông Cửu Long (n): The Mekong River. The word "sông" (river) is often prefixed for clarity.
- Sông Mê Kông (n): An alternative, internationally recognized name for the Mekong River, also used in Vietnamese.
- ĐBSCL (n): A common abbreviation for "Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long" (Mekong Delta).
Synonyms
- The Mekong River: The English equivalent for the river "Cửu Long."
- Mekong: The shortened, common English name.
Related Cultural Concepts
- Cửu Long (Nine Dragons): The name is deeply symbolic, representing the nine major mouths or branches through which the river empties into the South China Sea. This imagery is a significant part of the cultural and geographical identity of southern Vietnam.