Definition

1. Noun:
   • Fuse: A safety device in an electrical circuit, typically containing a wire or strip of metal (often lead or an alloy) that melts and breaks the circuit when the current exceeds a safe level, preventing damage or fire.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cầu chì trong hộp điện bị cháy. (The fuse in the electrical box blew.)
  • Anh ấy đang thay một cái cầu chì mới. (He is replacing a new fuse.)
  • Luôn kiểm tra cầu chì trước khi sửa chữa thiết bị điện. (Always check the fuse before repairing electrical equipment.)

Advanced Usage

• "cháy cầu chì" / "đứt cầu chì" / "cầu chì nổ": These are common phrases meaning "the fuse has blown" or "the fuse has melted".
  • Đèn tắt vì cháy cầu chì. (The lights went out because the fuse blew.)
• "lắp cầu chì" / "thay cầu chì": To fit or replace a fuse.
  • Tôi cần thay cầu chì cho ổ cắm này. (I need to replace the fuse for this socket.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cầu dao (Circuit Breaker): An automatic switch that serves a similar protective function as a fuse but can be reset.
• Aptomat (from French "disjoncteur", Circuit Breaker): A common Vietnamese term for a circuit breaker.
• Dây chì (Fuse wire): The metal wire inside a fuse.

Synonyms

• Thiết bị ngắt mạch (Circuit-breaking device): A general term for devices that break a circuit.
• Bộ phận bảo vệ quá dòng (Overcurrent protection component): A technical term describing its function.

Related Phrases

• "Hộp cầu chì" (Fuse box): The container housing the fuses.
  • Hộp cầu chì nằm ở tầng hầm. (The fuse box is in the basement.)
• "Cầu chì tự động" (Automatic fuse / Resettable fuse): A type of fuse that can reset itself.

Related Idioms

• "Nóng như cầu chì sắp cháy": (As hot as a fuse about to blow). An idiom used figuratively to describe a very tense, heated, or critical situation, or a person who is extremely angry and about to lose their temper.
  • Cuộc tranh luận nóng như cầu chì sắp cháy. (The debate was as heated as a fuse about to blow.)

noun

1. Fuse
   • cháy cầu chì
     the fuse has melted, the fuse has blown (out)
   • lắp cầu chì
     to fit in a fuse