Definition

Noun: 1. Mothball: A small ball made of a chemical substance, typically naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, placed among stored clothes to repel or kill moths. 2. Naphthalene: A white, crystalline, aromatic hydrocarbon (C₁₀H₈) with a strong, pungent odor, derived from coal tar or petroleum. It is the primary active ingredient in traditional mothballs.

Usage Examples

• As 'mothball' (the object):
  • Mẹ tôi để những viên băng phiến trong tủ quần áo mùa đông. (My mother puts mothballs in the winter clothes closet.)
  • Mùi băng phiến rất đặc trưng và khó chịu. (The smell of mothballs is very distinctive and unpleasant.)
• As 'naphthalene' (the chemical):
  • Băng phiến có thể thăng hoa từ dạng rắn sang dạng khí. (Naphthalene can sublimate from a solid to a gas.)
  • Hít phải hơi băng phiến với lượng lớn có thể gây hại. (Inhaling large amounts of naphthalene vapor can be harmful.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đánh băng phiến": This phrase literally means "to apply/use mothballs" and is commonly used to describe the act of storing something away for a long time, often implying it is being put out of service or into long-term storage.
  • Dự án đó đã bị đánh băng phiến vì thiếu ngân sách. (That project has been mothballed due to a lack of budget.)
• Figurative Use: The strong, persistent smell of mothballs is sometimes used metaphorically to describe something old-fashioned, unused, or stored away for a long time.
  • Phong cách của ông ấy có mùi băng phiến. (His style smells of mothballs / is very old-fashioned.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thuốc diệt mối mọt: Insecticide for termites/woodworms (a related product for pest control, but not the same).
• Viên long não: This is a common alternative name. "Long não" technically refers to camphor, a different substance with a similar use (moth repellent) and a different smell. However, in everyday Vietnamese, "viên long não" is often used interchangeably with "băng phiến," though purists note the chemical difference.

Synonyms

• Mothball (when referring to the object): The direct and most common translation.
• Naphthalene ball (when specifying the chemical type): A more precise term.
• Camphor ball (when referring to balls made of camphor): Note the different active ingredient.

Notes on Meaning

The word "băng phiến" encompasses two closely related meanings: 1. The common, everyday object (the mothball) used for protection. 2. The specific chemical compound (naphthalene) it is made from. The intended meaning is usually clear from context. In domestic contexts, it almost always means mothball. The chemical meaning is more technical.

noun

1. Moth-ball, naphthalene