Definition

1. Noun:
   • Cogon grass, Imperata cylindrica: A type of perennial grass, often with sharp-edged leaves and white, silky flower plumes. It commonly grows in poor soil, wastelands, and hillsides.
   • Thatching grass: Historically and in some regions, its dried leaves are used for thatching roofs.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đồi trọc phủ đầy cỏ gianh. (The barren hill is covered with cogon grass.)
  • Ngôi nhà tranh được lợp bằng cỏ gianh. (The thatched house is roofed with cogon grass.)

Advanced Usage

• "cứng như cỏ gianh": (idiom, simile) To be as tough/stubborn as cogon grass; describing something or someone very resilient, tenacious, or difficult to deal with.
  • Tính anh ấy cứng như cỏ gianh, khó thuyết phục lắm. (His personality is as tough as cogon grass; he's very hard to persuade.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cỏ tranh: A direct synonym, referring to the same plant (). The target word 'cỏ gianh' is defined as being the same as 'cỏ tranh'.
• Bạch mao: Another literary/alternative name for this grass, meaning "white hair," referring to its silvery flower plumes.

Synonyms

• Cỏ tranh: Cogongrass, thatch grass.
• Lá tranh: Thatch (specifically referring to the dried leaves used for thatching).

Related Idioms

• "Cỏ gianh không thể mọc dưới bóng cây đại thụ": (proverb) Cogon grass cannot grow under the shadow of a great tree. This implies that weak or inferior things cannot thrive in the presence of something overwhelmingly strong or superior.

1. Như cỏ tranh