Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mythical or legendary adhesive substance: "giao loan" refers to a miraculous or magical glue, often mentioned in ancient Vietnamese legends or folklore as a substance with extraordinary bonding properties.
   • A symbol of unbreakable union or bond: In a figurative sense, it represents an inseparable connection, often used poetically to describe deep, fated bonds between people, such as in love or friendship.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Truyền thuyết kể về một loại giao loan có thể gắn kết mọi thứ. (Legends tell of a type of giao loan that can bond anything together.)
  • Tình bạn của họ bền chặt như được gắn bằng giao loan. (Their friendship is as strong as if it were bonded by giao loan.)

Advanced Usage

• "gắn bó như giao loan": to be attached/stuck together like with miraculous glue; used to describe an extremely close and inseparable relationship.
  • Hai anh em sống gắn bó như giao loan từ nhỏ. (The two brothers have lived inseparably close, as if bonded by giao loan, since childhood.)

Variants and Related Words

• Keo (Noun): Glue, adhesive. This is the modern, common word for glue, whereas "giao loan" is archaic and literary.
• Chất kết dính (Noun): Adhesive substance, bonding agent.

Synonyms

• Keo dính thần kỳ: Miraculous glue (a descriptive synonym).
• Chất kết dính huyền thoại: Legendary adhesive.

Related Idioms

• Gắn như sam: To stick together like limpets; a common idiom meaning to be very closely attached or inseparable. This idiom is more commonly used than references to "giao loan" in modern Vietnamese.
  • Đôi bạn ấy gắn như sam, đi đâu cũng có nhau. (That pair of friends are stuck together like limpets, they are together wherever they go.)