Definition

1. Noun:

   • A rake: A garden tool with a long handle and a row of metal or wooden teeth at the end, used for gathering leaves, smoothing soil, or clearing debris.

2. Verb:

   • To rake: The action of using a rake to gather, smooth, or clear a surface.
   • To scratch: To drag something sharp (like claws, thorns, or fingernails) across a surface, often causing marks or damage.
   • To gnaw / To claw at: Used figuratively to describe an intense, nagging internal sensation, such as hunger or anxiety.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy mua một cái cào mới để làm vườn. (He bought a new rake for gardening.)
• Verb (to rake):
  • Cô ấy cào lá khô thành một đống. (She raked the dry leaves into a pile.)
  • Cào đất cho bằng phẳng trước khi gieo hạt. (Rake the soil smooth before sowing seeds.)
• Verb (to scratch):
  • Con mèo cào vào cánh cửa. (The cat scratched the door.)
  • Chiếc áo bị cào rách bởi cành gai. (The shirt was scratched and torn by the thorny branch.)
• Verb (to gnaw):
  • Cơn đói cào ruột. (Hunger gnawed at his stomach.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bài cào" (Three-card poker): A popular Vietnamese card game. The name originates from the action of "scraping" or "raking" in the cards or chips.
  • Họ ngồi chơi bài cào cả đêm. (They sat playing three-card poker all night.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cào cấu (v): To scratch and claw fiercely (often used for animals or figuratively for arguments).
  • Hai con mèo cào cấu nhau. (The two cats scratched and clawed at each other.)
• Gãi (v): To scratch an itch (soothing). Contrast with "cào," which implies causing damage or marks.
• Cào bằng (v): To level or flatten by raking.

Synonyms

• Rake: To use a rake.
• Scratch: To mark or damage a surface with something sharp.
• Claw: To tear or scrape with claws.
• Gnaw: To cause persistent, nagging discomfort.

Related Idioms

• Đói cào ruột: Literally "hunger claws at the intestines," meaning to be ravenously hungry.
  • Làm việc cả ngày khiến tôi đói cào ruột. (Working all day made me ravenously hungry.)
• Cào mặt cấu mắt: Literally "to scratch faces and claw eyes," describing a vicious, physical fight or a very bitter quarrel.
• Vay cào vay cấu: To borrow money desperately from any source, often with difficulty.

noun

1. Rake

verb

1. To rake
   • cào đất
     to rake the ground
   • cào cho sạch cỏ
     to rake the weeds clean
2. To scratch
   • bị mèo cào
     to be scratched by a cat
   • quần áo bị gai cào rách
     clothes torn by thorns
3. To gnaw
   • đói cào ruột
     gnawed by hunger