Definition

1. Noun:
   • A meal: The primary meaning of "bữa ăn" is an occasion when food is eaten, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It refers to the food consumed during that occasion.
   • A specific instance of eating: It can also refer to a single, distinct eating event, often defined by the time of day or its nature (e.g., a light meal, a feast).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bữa ăn sáng là bữa ăn quan trọng nhất trong ngày. (Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.)
  • Gia đình tôi luôn ăn cùng nhau trong bữa ăn tối. (My family always eats together during the evening meal.)
  • Chúng tôi chuẩn bị một bữa ăn thịnh soạn để đãi khách. (We prepared a lavish meal to entertain the guests.)

Advanced Usage

• "bữa ăn công nghiệp": industrial catering, institutional meal.
  • Công ty cung cấp bữa ăn công nghiệp cho các khu chế xuất. (The company provides industrial catering for export processing zones.)
• "bữa ăn chính": main meal.
  • Ở Việt Nam, bữa ăn chính thường có cơm. (In Vietnam, the main meal usually includes rice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bữa sáng (n): breakfast.
  • Tôi thường dùng bữa sáng lúc 7 giờ. (I usually have breakfast at 7 o'clock.)
• Bữa trưa (n): lunch.
  • Bữa trưa của tôi khá đơn giản. (My lunch is quite simple.)
• Bữa tối (n): dinner, supper.
  • Họ đã mời tôi dùng bữa tối. (They invited me for dinner.)
• Bữa phụ (n): snack, light meal between main meals.
  • Trẻ em cần những bữa phụ lành mạnh. (Children need healthy snacks.)

Synonyms

• Meal: an occasion when food is eaten.
• Repast: a formal term for a meal.

Related Idioms

• Bữa đói bữa no: to have an uncertain supply of food, to live from hand to mouth.
  • Cuộc sống của họ trước đây là bữa đói bữa no. (Their life before was one of feast or famine / living hand to mouth.)
• Bữa cơm gia đình: family meal (emphasizing togetherness).
  • Bữa cơm gia đình giúp gắn kết mọi người. (The family meal helps to bond everyone together.)