Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tripod, a three-legged stand: The literal meaning referring to a stand or support with three legs, like that of a traditional Vietnamese cauldron (vạc).
   • A tripodal formation/position: A figurative meaning describing a stable, triangular arrangement of three points, often used in military, strategic, or structural contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chiếc vạc đồng cổ đứng vững trên ba chân vạc. (The ancient bronze cauldron stood firmly on its three legs (tripod).)
  • Ba lực lượng tạo thành một thế chân vạc vững chắc. (The three forces form a stable tripodal position.)
  • Chiến lược phát triển dựa trên thế chân vạc: kinh tế, văn hóa, và giáo dục. (The development strategy is based on a tripodal foundation: economy, culture, and education.)

Advanced Usage

• "Thế chân vạc": A set phrase meaning "a tripodal situation/formation." It implies excellent stability, balance, and mutual support between three core elements.
  • Họ bố trí lực lượng theo thế chân vạc để hỗ trợ lẫn nhau. (They deployed their forces in a tripodal formation to support each other.)
• "Vững như chân vạc": An idiom meaning "as solid/stable as a tripod," used to describe something extremely firm and unshakable.
  • Nền tảng của công ty vững như chân vạc. (The company's foundation is as solid as a tripod.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kiềng ba chân (n): Another term for a three-legged stand or tripod, often used for cooking stoves. It emphasizes the stabilizing function of three legs.
• Thế chân kiềng (n): Similar to "thế chân vạc," meaning a stable, three-pointed structure or strategy.
• Tam giác (n): Triangle (geometric shape). While related in the concept of three points, "tam giác" is purely geometric and does not carry the connotation of structural support like "chân vạc."

Synonyms

• Kiềng ba chân: Three-legged stand.
• Thế tam giác: Triangular formation (more geometric, less idiomatic).
• Thế kiềng ba chân: Tripodal stance/formation.

Related Idioms

• "Vững như kiềng ba chân": Synonymous with "vững như chân vạc," meaning extremely stable and reliable.
  • Mối quan hệ hợp tác vững như kiềng ba chân. (The cooperative relationship is as stable as a three-legged stand.)

1. Tripodal (like the three legs of a cauldron), troika-like
   • đóng quân thành thế chân vạc
     to dispose troops in a tripodal position