Definition

Noun: - A fence or hedge, typically made from woven bamboo, rattan, or a dense row of small bushes, used to enclose or separate an area such as a garden or yard.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Họ trồng một hàng cây nhỏ để làm giậu. (They planted a row of small trees to make a hedge.)
  • Cái giậu tre trước nhà đã cũ. (The bamboo fence in front of the house is old.)
  • Con mèo nhảy qua giậu vào vườn. (The cat jumped over the fence into the garden.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "giậu" often evokes a rustic, rural, or traditional Vietnamese countryside setting in literature and poetry.
• "Bờ giậu": Refers specifically to the base or foot of the fence/hedge, often where plants grow wild.
  • Hoa dại mọc đầy ở bờ giậu. (Wildflowers grow all over the foot of the hedge.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hàng rào (n): A more general, modern term for a fence (often of metal, wood, or concrete).
  • Hàng rào sắt bảo vệ ngôi nhà. (The iron fence protects the house.)
• Rào (v/n): To fence; a fence. Often used with as "rào giậu".
  • Họ rào giậu quanh mảnh vườn. (They fenced the garden plot.)

Synonyms

• Hedge: A row of shrubs or bushes forming a boundary.
• Fence: A structure serving as an enclosure or barrier.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Giậu đổ bìm leo": Literally "the fence falls, the morning glory climbs." An idiom meaning "when one falls, others take advantage" or "to kick someone when they are down," similar to "when the cat's away, the mice will play."
  • Công ty gặp khó khăn, đối thủ lập tức chiếm thị phần, đúng là giậu đổ bìm leo. (The company faced difficulties, and competitors immediately captured market share—truly a case of the fence falling and the morning glory climbing.)

noun

1. fence; hedge