Definition

1. Noun:

   • A young horse: A colt, filly, or foal. This is an older, literary meaning.
   • A dove or pigeon: Specifically, a bird of the family Columbidae. Often used in the compound "chim câu" (dove/pigeon).
   • A sentence: A grammatical unit of words expressing a complete thought.
   • A line (of poetry or text): A single row of words in a poem, song, or verse.

2. Verb:

   • To fish (with a rod and line): To catch fish using a hook, line, and rod. This is the most common verbal meaning.
   • To hook, to lift with a hook: To catch, grab, or lift something using a hook.
   • To lure, to entice: To attract someone or something cleverly or deceptively.
   • To fire (a projectile) at a distant target: To aim and shoot a cannon or artillery shell at a faraway objective.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Bóng câu qua cửa sổ. (The shadow of a foal flashing by a window.)
  • Chim câu là biểu tượng của hòa bình. (The dove is a symbol of peace.)
  • Bạn hãy đặt một câu với từ này. (Please build a sentence with this word.)
  • Bài thơ này có bốn câu. (This poem has four lines.)

• Verb:

  • Ông ấy thích câu cá vào cuối tuần. (He likes to go fishing on weekends.)
  • Cần cẩu đang câu container lên tàu. (The crane is hooking the container onto the ship.)
  • Cửa hàng dùng quảng cáo để câu khách. (The store uses advertisements to lure customers.)

Advanced Usage

• "Câu giờ": To stall for time, to delay deliberately.

  • Cầu thủ đó ngã giả để câu giờ. (That player faked an injury to stall for time.)

• "Câu kéo": To pull strings, to use connections (often for personal gain).

  • Hắn ta câu kéo với cảnh sát. (He has connections with the police.)

Variants and Related Words

• Câu cá (v): The standard phrase meaning "to go fishing".
• Bồ câu (n): Pigeon or dove. A common compound for the bird.
• Câu thơ (n): A line of poetry.
• Cần câu (n): A fishing rod.
• Mồi câu (n): Bait (for fishing or figuratively).

Synonyms

• Noun: Colt (young horse), dove (bird), sentence (grammar), line (verse).
• Verb: To fish, to angle, to hook, to lure, to attract.

Related Idioms

• "Nghe câu được câu chăng": To catch only bits and pieces of a conversation, to understand only half of what is said.

  • Đường truyền xấu nên tôi nghe câu được câu chăng. (The connection was bad so I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.)

• "Bóng câu qua cửa sổ": Literally "the shadow of a foal past the window". An idiom describing something fleeting, transient, or ephemeral.

  • Thời gian như bóng câu qua cửa sổ. (Time is like a fleeting shadow.)

noun

1. Colt, filly, foal
   • bóng câu qua cửa sổ
     the shadow of a foal flashing by a window; a fleeting thing
2. Dove
   • chim câu trắng
     a white dove
3. Sentence
   • đặt câu
     to build a sentence
   • nói chưa hết câu
     to have hardly finished a sentence
   • nghe câu được câu chăng
     to understand one sentence here one sentence there, to miss half of what one hears
4. Line, verse
   • bài thơ tám câu