Definition

1. Noun:

   • Prison cell (archaic/contextual): A cell or block for prisoners, especially in historical contexts like colonial-era prisons.
   • Ball (colloquial, Southern Vietnamese dialect): A spherical object used in games, most commonly referring to a football/soccer ball.

2. Verb:

   • To open wide; to force open; to spread apart: To pull or push something so that its sides are separated, revealing what is inside or behind it.
   • To be smashed to pieces (colloquial, often follows a main verb): To be completely shattered or destroyed.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tù nhân bị giam trong banh. (The prisoner was held in a cell.)
  • Bọn trẻ đang chơi banh ở sân. (The children are playing with a ball in the yard.)
• Verb:
  • Bác sĩ banh vết thương để khâu. (The doctor spread open the wound to stitch it.)
  • Nó banh mắt ra nhìn khi thấy con vật lạ. (He opened his eyes wide to look at the strange animal.)
  • Chiếc xe bị tông banh đầu. (The car was hit and its front was smashed to pieces.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb form often appears in descriptive, sometimes graphic, contexts involving force or exposure.
• As a noun meaning "ball," it is predominantly used in Southern Vietnamese speech. The more standard term nationwide is "bóng."

Variants and Related Words

• Đá banh (v, colloquial): To play football/soccer.
  • Chúng tôi thường đá banh vào cuối tuần. (We usually play football on weekends.)
• Banh ngực (v, colloquial): To bare one's chest.
  • Anh ấy banh ngực chạy trong mưa. (He bared his chest and ran in the rain.)

Synonyms

• Noun (Cell): prison cell, detention cell.
• Noun (Ball): ball, sphere (specifically "bóng" in standard Vietnamese).
• Verb (To open): to pry open, to spread, to force apart.
• Verb (To smash): to shatter, to demolish, to wreck.

Related Idioms

• Banh xác (v, very colloquial/vulgar): To wreck or destroy something (often a vehicle) completely; to exert oneself to the point of exhaustion.
  • Nó banh xác chiếc xe máy trong vụ tai nạn. (He totally wrecked the motorbike in the accident.)
• Ăn banh nóc (idiom, colloquial): To defeat someone utterly (e.g., in a game, debate).
  • Đội chủ nhà bị ăn banh nóc với tỉ số 5-0. (The home team was utterly defeated with a score of 5-0.)

noun

1. Prison cell
2. Ball
   • đá banh
     to play football

verb

1. To open wide; to force open
   • banh mắt ra nhìn
     to look with wide-opened eyes
   • banh ngực
     to bare one's chest