Definition

1. Verb:
   • To shave: To remove hair from the body, especially from the face or head, by cutting it off very close to the skin with a razor.
   • To scrape: To remove a thin outer layer from a surface by pulling a sharp edge (like a blade or scraper) firmly across it.
   • To give a talking-to; to dress down (colloquial): To scold or reprimand someone severely.

Usage Examples

• To shave:
  • Sáng nào anh ấy cũng cạo râu. (He shaves his beard every morning.)
  • Nhà sư thường cạo đầu. (Monks usually shave their heads.)
• To scrape:
  • Cô ấy đang cạo lớp sơn cũ khỏi cửa. (She is scraping the old paint off the door.)
  • Phải cạo hết thức ăn cháy trong nồi. (You must scrape all the burnt food from the pot.)
• To give a talking-to:
  • Vì về nhà quá muộn, nó bị bố cạo cho một trận. (For coming home too late, he got a severe talking-to from his father.)

Advanced Usage

• "cạo gió": A traditional folk practice of "scraping the wind," similar to coining or gua sha, where the skin is scraped with a coin or spoon to treat minor ailments like colds or headaches.
  • Bà ngoại thường cạo gió cho cháu khi bị cảm. (My grandmother often performs "cạo gió" on me when I have a cold.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cạo râu (v): To shave (specifically the beard).
  • Dao cạo râu rất sắc. (The razor is very sharp.)
• Cạo đầu (v): To shave one's head.
  • Anh ấy cạo đầu để tham gia chạy marathon. (He shaved his head to participate in the marathon.)
• Cạo vôi (v): To descale (e.g., teeth).
  • Nha sĩ khuyên nên cạo vôi răng định kỳ. (The dentist recommends regular teeth scaling.)

Synonyms

• Shave: To remove hair with a razor.
• Scrape: To remove a layer by abrasion.
• Reprimand / Scold: To express sharp disapproval.

Related Idioms

• Đầu cạo trọc: A clean-shaven head; a bald head (often by shaving).
  • Sau khi đi tù về, anh ta để đầu cạo trọc. (After returning from prison, he kept a clean-shaven head.)
• Cạo như mía ép lấy nước (colloquial): To criticize or extract something (like money, information) from someone relentlessly and exhaustively. Literally, "to scrape like pressing sugarcane for juice."
  • Ông chủ cạo nhân viên như mía ép lấy nước về doanh số. (The boss dressed down the employees relentlessly about sales figures.)

verb

1. To shave
   • cạo râu
     to shave oneself
   • đầu cạo trọc
     a clean-shaven head
2. To scrape
   • cạo lớp sơn
     to scrape a layer of paint
   • cạo nồi
     to scrape a pot
3. To give a talking-to to; to talk to, to dress down
   • bị cạo một trận
     to get a talking-to