Definition

1. Verb:
   • To decant: To carefully pour a liquid from one container into another, especially in order to separate it from a sediment or residue (the "cặn") that has settled at the bottom.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau khi ủ, anh ấy gạn cặn rượu vang vào một bình mới. (After aging, he decanted the wine into a new carafe.)
  • Hãy gạn cặn nước mắm trước khi sử dụng. (Please decant the fish sauce before using it.)
  • Cô ấy gạn cặn nước luộc thịt để lấy phần nước trong. (She decanted the meat broth to get the clear liquid.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "gạn cặn" is often used metaphorically to describe the process of extracting the essential or valuable part from something, discarding the useless or impure elements.
  • Nhà phê bình cố gắng gạn cặn để tìm ra sự thật trong câu chuyện. (The critic tried to sift through the dross to find the truth in the story.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gạn (v): To pour off carefully; to separate liquid. This is the core verb, with "cặn" specifically meaning sediment or dregs.
• Lọc (v): To filter. While "lọc" often involves a filter, "gạn cặn" typically relies on gravity and careful pouring.
• Chiết (v): To extract, to draw off (a liquid).

Synonyms

• Decant: To pour off (a liquid) without disturbing the sediment.
• Pour off: To separate liquid by pouring.
• Siphon off: To draw off (a liquid) by means of a siphon.

Related Idioms

• Gạn lời tìm ý: To carefully analyze words to find the true meaning. This idiom extends the core idea of "gạn cặn" to the realm of language and intention.
  • Người điều tra phải gạn lời tìm ý trong lời khai của nhân chứng. (The investigator had to sift through the witness's testimony to find the true meaning.)

verb

1. to decant