Definition

1. Noun:
   • Tide: The regular rise and fall of the sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. This is the primary and most common meaning of "con nước," especially among fishing and coastal communities.
   • Water level / Stage of a river: In inland contexts, particularly regarding rivers like the Mekong, "con nước" can refer to the cyclical fluctuation in a river's water level.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ngư dân canh theo con nước để ra khơi. (Fishermen time their departure to sea according to the tide.)
  • Con nước lên nhanh quá. (The tide is coming in very quickly.)
  • Con nước trên sông Cửu Long đang xuống. (The water level on the Mekong River is falling.)

Advanced Usage

• "con nước lớn" / "con nước cường": spring tide (the tide with the greatest difference between high and low water, occurring during new and full moons).

  • Thuyền đánh cá chỉ ra khơi vào con nước cường. (The fishing boat only goes out to sea during spring tide.)

• "con nước ròng" / "con nước kém": neap tide (the tide with the smallest difference between high and low water, occurring during the first and third quarters of the moon).

  • Vào con nước ròng, bãi biển lộ ra rất rộng. (During neap tide, a very wide beach is exposed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nước lớn (n): high tide.

  • Đợi nước lớn thuyền mới vào được bến. (Wait for high tide for the boat to enter the harbor.)

• Nước ròng (n): low tide.

  • Khi nước ròng, trẻ con hay đi nhặt ốc. (When it's low tide, children often go to collect snails.)

• Thủy triều (n): tide (more formal/scientific term).

  • Hiện tượng thủy triều do mặt trăng gây ra. (The tidal phenomenon is caused by the moon.)

Synonyms

• Tide: the periodic rise and fall of the sea.
• Water level: the height of a body of water.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Theo con nước: to follow the tide; to go with the flow of events.

  • Công việc của họ phải theo con nước. (Their work must follow the tide.)

• Chờ con nước: to wait for the right tide or opportunity.

  • Họ chờ con nước thuận lợi để khởi hành. (They are waiting for the favorable tide to depart.)

1. Tide
   • con nước lên
     the high tide
   • con nước xuống
     the low tide, the ebb
   • con nước cường
     the spring waters