Definition

1. Verb:
   • To stand or position (legs) wide apart, to be astride: Describes the action of spreading one's legs far apart, often to create a wide, stable stance.
   • To slope, to spread out (at the base): Describes something, like a structure or landform, that widens or slopes outward toward its lower part or base.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy đứng choãi chân ra. (He stands with his legs astride.)
  • Chân gàu sòng choãi ra. (The legs of the scoop are spread wide apart.)
  • Chân đê choãi đều. (The base of the dyke slopes evenly.)
  • Càng về xuôi, triền núi càng choãi ra. (The further downstream we go, the more the mountainside slopes gently.)

Advanced Usage

• "choãi chân": This is the most common collocation, specifically meaning "to spread one's legs apart" or "to stand astride."
  • Để giữ thăng bằng, người lính phải choãi chân. (To keep balance, the soldier had to stand astride.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chạng chân: (verb) A near-synonym meaning to spread one's legs apart. "Choãi" often implies a wider, more forceful, or more stable stance than "chạng."
• Dạng chân: (verb) Another synonym meaning to spread the legs apart.

Synonyms

• Đứng giạng chân: To stand with legs spread.
• Tõe ra: To splay out, to spread out (can be used for things other than legs).

Related Phrases

• Choãi càng: (Used for animals like crabs or insects) To spread its claws/legs wide.
  • Con cua choãi càng ra đe dọa. (The crab spread its claws wide in threat.)

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and most frequent use of "choãi" involves the legs of a person or animal being positioned wide apart.
• The secondary meaning describes a structural or geographical feature that has a broad, sloping base. This usage is less common in everyday speech and more specific to certain contexts (e.g., describing dikes, mountainsides).

verb

1. (thường nói về chân) To stand astride
   • đứng choãi chân
     to stand astride
   • chân gàu sòng choãi ra
     the legs of the scoop were astride
2. To slope toward the foot
   • chân đê choãi đều
     the dyke was evenly sloping
   • càng về xuôi, triền núi càng choãi ra
     the further we go to the plains, the more gentle is the sloping of the mountain sides