Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Lamp oil, lighting oil: A type of oil used as fuel for lamps, typically for lighting purposes in traditional lamps.
   • Oil for ritual lamps: Specifically, oil used in lamps for religious or ceremonial purposes, such as in temples or during worship.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người xưa thường dùng dầu đèn để thắp sáng. (In the past, people often used lamp oil for lighting.)
  • Dầu đèn trên bàn thờ được thay mới mỗi ngày. (The oil in the altar lamp is replaced daily.)

Advanced Usage

• "dầu đèn dầu lửa": An idiom referring to the basic necessities for lighting and fire, often used to signify essential living supplies or a humble, frugal life.
  • Cuộc sống dầu đèn dầu lửa của ông bà ta ngày xưa thật gian khổ. (The lamp-oil-and-fire-oil life of our ancestors was truly arduous.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dầu hỏa (n): Kerosene, a type of fuel oil also used for lighting and heating.
• Dầu lửa (n): Literally "fire oil," often refers to kerosene or fuel for lamps and stoves; commonly paired with "dầu đèn" in idioms.

Synonyms

• Dầu thắp: Lighting oil.
• Dầu lampa (from French "lampe"): Lamp oil.

Related Phrases

• Thắp dầu đèn: To light an oil lamp.
  • Mỗi tối, bà tôi lại thắp dầu đèn để đọc sách. (Every evening, my grandmother would light an oil lamp to read.)

Related Idioms

• Cơm áo gạo tiền, dầu đèn dầu lửa: Refers to the fundamental material concerns and costs of daily life (food, clothing, rice, money, lamp oil, fire oil).
  • Lo toan chuyện cơm áo gạo tiền, dầu đèn dầu lửa chiếm hết thời gian của họ. (Worrying about basic livelihood matters—food, clothing, money, lamp oil—took up all their time.)