Definition

1. Noun:
   • All plants as a whole; the plant kingdom: The term "bách thảo" refers to the collective entirety of plant life or vegetation. It is a classical, literary term meaning "a hundred herbs," symbolizing the vast diversity of the plant world.
   • Botanical; relating to plants: Used as a modifier in compound terms to denote something related to the study or collection of plants.

Usage Examples

• Noun (as a concept):
  • Sự đa dạng của bách thảo là vô tận. (The diversity of the plant kingdom is endless.)
• As a modifier in a compound noun:
  • Chúng tôi đã tham quan vườn bách thảo. (We visited the botanical garden.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in fixed, classical compounds, most notably "vườn bách thảo" (botanical garden). It is rarely used in modern, everyday standalone speech.

Variants and Related Words

• Vườn bách thảo (n): Botanical garden. A garden dedicated to the collection, cultivation, and display of a wide variety of plants.
  • Vườn bách thảo Sài Gòn rất rộng lớn. (The Saigon Botanical Garden is very spacious.)
• Tập bách thảo (n): Herbarium. A collection of preserved plant specimens.
  • Nhà khoa học đang nghiên cứu một tập bách thảo cổ. (The scientist is studying an ancient herbarium.)

Synonyms

• Thực vật: Plants, vegetation (a more common, modern term).
• Giới thực vật: The plant kingdom.

Notes on Usage

• "Bách thảo" is a Sino-Vietnamese word (from Chinese: 百草). Its usage is formal and academic. In contemporary Vietnamese, for the general concept of "plants," the word "thực vật" or "cây cối" is more commonly used.
• It primarily survives in institutional names like "Vườn Bách thảo" (Botanical Garden) or "Bách thảo học" (Botany).

1. All plants as a whole
   • vườn bách thảo
     Botanical garden