Definition

1. Noun:
   • A balloon: An inflatable, flexible bag, often made of thin rubber or plastic, that can be filled with air or a lighter-than-air gas (like helium) so that it floats. It is commonly used as a toy, for decoration, or in celebrations.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trẻ em rất thích thổi bóng bay. (Children love to blow up balloons.)
  • Cửa hàng trang trí tiệc với rất nhiều bóng bay màu sắc. (The party shop is decorated with many colorful balloons.)
  • Anh ấy buộc sợi dây vào bóng bay để nó không bay mất. (He tied a string to the balloon so it wouldn't fly away.)

Advanced Usage

• "bóng bay bay": This phrase emphasizes the balloon's ability to fly or float.
  • Nhìn kìa, bóng bay bay lên trời cao rồi! (Look, the balloon is flying up into the sky!)
• "thả bóng bay": to release balloons (into the air).
  • Vào cuối lễ tốt nghiệp, họ cùng nhau thả bóng bay. (At the end of the graduation ceremony, they released balloons together.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bong bóng (bay) (n): This is a less common variant, sometimes used interchangeably with "bóng bay," but "bong bóng" more commonly means "bubble" (e.g., soap bubble, air bubble).
• Khí cầu (n): Refers to a much larger, manned airship or hot-air balloon, not a toy balloon.
• Quả bóng (n): Refers to a ball for playing sports (e.g., soccer ball, basketball), which is solid and for bouncing/kicking, not for inflating and floating.

Synonyms

• Balloon (English equivalent): The direct and most accurate translation.

Related Phrases

• Bơm bóng bay: to inflate/pump up a balloon.
  • Bố đang giúp tôi bơm bóng bay cho bữa tiệc. (Dad is helping me inflate balloons for the party.)
• Làm nổ bóng bay / Bóng bay nổ: to pop a balloon / a balloon pops.
  • Tiếng bóng bay nổ làm đứa bé giật mình. (The sound of a balloon popping startled the child.)

Related Idioms

• Đầu óc trên mây / Đầu óc như bóng bay: This idiom compares someone's head or mind to a balloon in the clouds, meaning their head is in the clouds; they are daydreaming or not paying attention to reality.
  • Cậu ấy không nghe lời cô giáo vì đầu óc trên mây rồi. (He didn't listen to the teacher because his head was in the clouds.)