Definition

1. Noun:
   • Barbed wire: A type of strong wire with sharp metal points (barbs) twisted around it at regular intervals, used primarily for fences, especially for security, to prevent passage or intrusion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hàng rào dây thép gai bao quanh nhà máy. (A barbed wire fence surrounds the factory.)
  • Anh ấy bị thương khi cố gắng trèo qua dây thép gai. (He got injured trying to climb over the barbed wire.)
  • Dây thép gai được sử dụng rộng rãi trong chiến tranh. (Barbed wire was widely used in warfare.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị mắc vào dây thép gai": to get caught/tangled in barbed wire.

  • Con chó bị mắc vào dây thép gai và kêu la. (The dog got caught in the barbed wire and was yelping.)

• "hàng rào kẽm gai": This is a common variant phrase meaning the same as "dây thép gai," where "kẽm gai" is a synonym for barbed wire.

  • Khu vực quân sự được bảo vệ bởi hàng rào kẽm gai. (The military area is protected by a barbed wire fence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dây kẽm gai (Noun): A direct synonym for "dây thép gai," meaning barbed wire. "Kẽm" can imply galvanized wire.
• Hàng rào (Noun): Fence. Often combined as "hàng rào dây thép gai" (barbed wire fence).
• Dây thép (Noun): Steel wire. This is the base material without barbs.
• Gai (Noun): Thorn, spine, barb. Refers to the sharp points.

Synonyms

• Barbed wire: The direct English translation.
• Barbwire: A common shortened form in English.

Related Phrases

• Rào bằng dây thép gai: To fence (an area) with barbed wire.

  • Họ rào khu vườn bằng dây thép gai để ngăn thỏ. (They fenced the garden with barbed wire to keep rabbits out.)

• Cuộn dây thép gai: A coil/roll of barbed wire.

  • Công nhân đang lắp đặt một cuộn dây thép gai mới. (The workers are installing a new roll of barbed wire.)

Related Idioms

Note: "Dây thép gai" itself is a specific, concrete noun and is not typically used in Vietnamese idioms. Its usage is almost always literal, describing the physical object.

1. Barbed wire