Definition

Noun: 1. A small, natural pond or pool in a field or rural area: A shallow, often seasonal, body of water, typically found in fields or low-lying areas, not as large or permanent as a lake (hồ). 2. A puddle, a water-filled depression: A small, temporary collection of water in a hollow or ditch.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trẻ con thường ra bàu câu cá. (Children often go to the pond to fish.)
  • Sau cơn mưa, đường đất đầy những bàu nước. (After the rain, the dirt road is full of puddles.)
  • Bàu sen trước làng nở hoa rất đẹp. (The lotus pool in front of the village has beautiful blooming flowers.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tát bàu bắt cá": This is a traditional fishing method meaning "to drain/bail out a pond to catch fish." It describes the action of scooping out water from a small pond or pool until it's shallow enough to easily catch the fish inside.
  • Người nông dân tát bàu bắt cá để cải thiện bữa ăn. (The farmer drained the pond to catch fish to improve the family meal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bàu bàu (adj): An adjective describing a frowning, sullen, or displeased facial expression (e.g., - a sullen face). This is a distinct word with a different meaning, but it shares the same spelling.
• Ao (n): A pond, often man-made and more permanent than a , typically located near a house.
• Vũng (n): A puddle or a small, shallow pool of water, often on the ground or in a depression. Very similar to one meaning of .
• Đầm (n): A large pond, swamp, or marsh; generally larger than a .

Synonyms

• Vũng nước: Puddle.
• Ao nhỏ: Small pond.

Related Idioms

• "Cá bàu cá vũng": Literally "pond fish and puddle fish." This idiom is used to describe people of little importance, insignificance, or low social standing, implying they are confined to a small, limited environment.
  • Hắn ta chỉ là cá bàu cá vũng, chẳng có ảnh hưởng gì. (He's just a small fry, he has no influence.)

noun

1. Pool, pond (in the fields)
   • tát bàu bắt cá
     to scoop out water of pools for fish
   • bàu sen
     a lotus pool