Definition

1. Noun:

   • Chicken; fowl; cock/rooster; hen: A common domesticated bird kept for its meat and eggs. The general term "gà" refers to the species. Specific terms like "gà trống" (rooster) and "gà mái" (hen) are used to denote gender.
   • Novice; amateur; greenhorn: (Slang) A person who is inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity, especially in games or sports.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To coach; to give advice; to help (someone, especially covertly): To assist someone by providing hints, answers, or guidance, often in a learning or gaming context where such help is unofficial or secret.
   • To place a side bet: (In certain traditional card games like Tổ Tôm) To make an additional, private bet within a main game.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhà tôi có nuôi năm con gà. (My family raises five chickens.)
  • Con gà trống gáy vào mỗi sáng. (The rooster crows every morning.)
  • Nó là tay mới, còn gà lắm. (He's a newbie; he's still very green.)
• Verb:
  • Đừng gà bài cho nó, để nó tự làm. (Don't feed him the answers; let him do it himself.)
  • Trong ván cờ, anh ta đã gà một nước rất hay. (During the chess game, he whispered a very good move as a hint.)

Advanced Usage

• "gà mờ": A complete novice; someone who is clueless or in the dark about something.
  • Về công nghệ, tôi vẫn là một kẻ gà mờ. (When it comes to technology, I'm still completely in the dark.)
• "gà sống" / "gà chết": (In betting slang) "Live chicken" refers to a side bet that is still active/winning; "dead chicken" refers to a lost side bet.

Variants and Related Words

• Gà con (n): Chick; baby chicken. Also used metaphorically for a young, inexperienced person.
  • Đàn gà con theo mẹ. (The chicks follow their mother.)
• Gà công nghiệp (n): Industrially farmed/broiler chicken.
• Gà cồ (n): A large breed of chicken.
• Gà gô (n): Partridge (a type of wild bird).

Synonyms

• Chicken / fowl / poultry (for the animal).
• Beginner / rookie / newbie (for the slang meaning).
• To tutor / to hint / to prompt (for the verb meaning).

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Nước đến chân mới nhảy: Similar to "waiting until the last minute," but often used with "gà" as in "," implying someone acts only when forced.
• Gà cùng một mẹ: Literally "chickens from the same mother." Means people from the same group or background who end up fighting or competing against each other.
• Chết vì gà: To be ruined or suffer greatly because of gambling (originating from betting on chicken fights or card game side bets).
• Gà mất chuồng: Like "a fish out of water," describing someone who looks lost or out of place.

noun

1. cock; fowl; chicken
   • chuồng gà
     fowl-house

verb

1. to give advice on; to help