Definition

1. Adjective:

   • High, Tall: Describes something with a great vertical extent or measurement from base to top. It can refer to physical objects (mountains, people, buildings) or abstract concepts (levels, degrees).
   • Elevated, Lofty: Refers to a high position in space or status.
   • High-pitched: Describes a sound with a high frequency.
   • High, Expensive: Indicates a large amount, degree, or price.
   • Advanced, Superior: Describes a high level of development, rank, or quality.

2. Noun:

   • Glue, Gelatin, Extract: A substance, often medicinal, produced by boiling animal bones, horns, or plants until a concentrated, viscous, or solid extract remains.
   • Plaque, Tartar: A hardened deposit, such as dental calculus.
   • Dregs, Residue: The solid residue left in a pipe after smoking.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngọn núi này rất cao. (This mountain is very high.)
  • Anh ấy cao một mét tám. (He is one meter eighty tall.)
  • Cô ấy hát nốt cao rất tốt. (She sings the high note very well.)
  • Giá cả ở đây quá cao. (The prices here are too high.)
  • Đây là một kỹ thuật cao. (This is an advanced technique.)
• Noun:
  • Ông ấy uống cao hổ cốt để chữa đau lưng. (He drinks tiger bone glue to treat back pain.)
  • Bạn nên đi lấy cao răng sáu tháng một lần. (You should get your teeth scaled to remove tartar every six months.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm cao": To put on airs, to act superior.
  • Đừng có làm cao, anh cũng cần việc đó mà. (Don't put on airs; you need that job too.)
• "cất cao giọng": To raise one's voice.
  • Anh ta cất cao giọng khi tranh luận. (He raises his voice when arguing.)
• "nâng cao": To elevate, to improve, to enhance.
  • Chúng tôi luôn tìm cách nâng cao chất lượng dịch vụ. (We always seek ways to improve service quality.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cao lớn (adj): Tall and big, large in stature.
  • Cậu bé đã trở thành một chàng trai cao lớn. (The boy has become a tall young man.)
• Cao cấp (adj): High-class, high-grade, superior.
  • Cô ấy thích mua hàng cao cấp. (She likes to buy high-class goods.)
• Cao thủ (n): Master, expert (often in a game or skill).
  • Anh ấy là một cao thủ cờ vua. (He is a chess master.)
• Cao nguyên (n): Plateau, highland.
  • Vùng cao nguyên có khí hậu mát mẻ. (The highland region has a cool climate.)

Synonyms

• Adjective: High, tall, elevated, lofty, superior, advanced, expensive.
• Noun: Glue, gelatin, extract, paste, residue, tartar.

Related Idioms

• Cao chạy xa bay: To flee far away, to disappear without a trace.
  • Nghe tin động đất, mọi người cao chạy xa bay. (Hearing the earthquake news, everyone fled far away.)
• Trèo cao ngã đau: The higher you climb, the harder you fall.
  • Hắn ta tham nhũng nhiều rồi bị bắt, đúng là trèo cao ngã đau. (He was corrupt and then got caught; it's true that the higher you climb, the harder you fall.)
• Cây cao bóng cả: A tall tree provides great shade (metaphor for a person of high status who protects others).
  • Nhờ có sếp là cây cao bóng cả mà nhân viên được che chở. (Thanks to the boss being a protector, the employees are sheltered.)
• Thấp tình cao nghĩa: Deep affection and noble righteousness (describes profound and virtuous relationships).
• Cao không tới, thấp không thông: Too high to reach, too low to pass through (in an awkward, untenable position).

noun

1. Jelly, glue (of animal bones or plants used as medicine)
   • cao hổ cốt
     tiger bone glue
2. Cataplasm

adj

1. High, tall, steep, towering
   • cao một mét bảy mươi
     to be 5'7'' tall, to stand 5'7" in height
   • núi cao trên ba nghìn mét
     a mountain more than 3,000 metres high, a mountain over 10,000 feet high
   • đo chiều cao
     to measure the height (of someone, something)
   • chim bay cao tít
     the bird flew very high
   • giày cao cổ