Definition

1. Noun:

   • Pond: A body of water, typically smaller than a lake, created by digging into the ground, used for raising fish, growing water plants (like water spinach), or collecting water.

2. Verb:

   • To measure roughly / to estimate (a volume): To gauge or approximate the quantity of a granular or liquid substance (like rice, oil) using a container, without precise measurement.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Gia đình tôi có một cái ao nhỏ để nuôi cá. (My family has a small pond for raising fish.)
  • Ao nhà anh ấy trồng rất nhiều rau muống. (His family pond grows a lot of water spinach.)

• Verb:

  • Bác ấy ao thúng thóc để xem còn bao nhiêu. (He roughly measured a basket of paddy to see how much was left.)
  • Hãy ao lại xem chúng ta còn mấy lít dầu. (Please estimate roughly to see how many liters of oil we have left.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "ao" is often used in specific, traditional contexts of measuring bulk goods. It implies an informal, approximate assessment rather than an exact calculation.

Variants and Related Words

• Ao tù (n): A stagnant pond; a pond with still, often stale water.
• Ao làng (n): A village pond, a communal pond.

Synonyms

• Pond (for noun): lakelet, pool, water hole.
• To measure roughly (for verb): to estimate, to gauge, to approximate.

Related Idioms and Proverbs

• Ta về ta tắm ao ta, dù trong dù đục ao nhà vẫn hơn.
  • (Let's return and bathe in our own pond; whether clear or muddy, our home pond is still better.)
  • Meaning: A proverb expressing the sentiment that there's no place like home, emphasizing the value and comfort of one's own home and circumstances.

noun

1. Pond

verb

1. To measure roughly, to measure approximately
   • ao thúng thóc
     to measure approximately a basket of paddy