Definition

1. Verb:
   • To inlay: To set pieces of a material (such as mother-of-pearl, ivory, or precious wood) into a surface to form a decorative pattern or picture.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người thợ đang cẩn hoa văn bằng xà cừ vào mặt bàn. (The artisan is inlaying a pattern with mother-of-pearl into the tabletop.)
  • Chiếc rương gỗ được cẩn những mảnh ngà voi rất tinh xảo. (The wooden chest is inlaid with very intricate pieces of ivory.)
  • Kỹ thuật cẩn trai là một nghề thủ công truyền thống. (The technique of inlaying with shell is a traditional craft.)

Advanced Usage

• "cẩn khảm": This is a compound verb where "cẩn" and "khảm" are near-synonyms, together meaning "to inlay" or "to mosaic," often emphasizing fine, detailed work.
  • Nghệ nhân cẩn khảm tranh Phật trên gỗ trầm hương. (The craftsman inlays/mosaics a Buddha picture on agarwood.)
• Passive Construction with "được": The verb "cẩn" is often used with "được" to describe the state of an object that has been inlaid.
  • Cánh cửa chính được cẩn hàng trăm mảnh xà cừ nhỏ. (The main door is inlaid with hundreds of small pieces of mother-of-pearl.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khảm (verb): A near-synonym meaning "to inlay," often used interchangeably with "cẩn," though "khảm" can sometimes imply using larger or thicker pieces.
• Ốc xà cừ / Xà cừ (noun): Mother-of-pearl, a common material for inlaying.
• Đồ cẩn (noun phrase): Inlaid objects; items created through the inlaying technique.
• Nghệ thuật cẩn (noun phrase): The art of inlaying.

Synonyms

• Khảm: To inlay.
• Gắn, dát (một cách nghệ thuật): To set, to veneer (in an artistic manner). Note: These are less specific than "cẩn."

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "Cẩn xà cừ": A very common phrase meaning "inlaid with mother-of-pearl." It often functions as a descriptive phrase following a noun.
  • chiếc tủ cẩn xà cừ (the cabinet inlaid with mother-of-pearl)
• "Tỉ mỉ như cẩn xà cừ": An idiom meaning "as meticulous as inlaying mother-of-pearl," used to describe someone who works with extreme care and precision.

verb

1. To inlay
   • cẩn xà cừ
     inlaid with mother-of-pearl