gành
Definition
- Noun:
- A rocky promontory, a rocky headland, or a rocky outcrop extending into a body of water: "gành" refers to a coastal geographical feature, typically a stretch of rugged, rocky shore or a cape formed by rocks.
- A rocky rapid or stretch of turbulent water in a river (less common, often considered a variant of "ghềnh"): In some contexts, particularly in older or regional usage, it can refer to a rocky, shallow, and rapid section of a river.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chúng tôi ngồi ngắm hoàng hôn trên một mỏm gành. (We sat watching the sunset on a rocky headland.)
- Sóng đánh mạnh vào những tảng đá ở gành. (The waves crash strongly against the rocks at the rocky outcrop.)
- Con thuyền nhỏ khó lòng vượt qua khúc sông nhiều gành đá. (The small boat could hardly pass the river section with many rocky rapids.)
Advanced Usage
- "Gành" vs. "Ghềnh": While historically and phonetically related, in modern standard Vietnamese, "ghềnh" is the more common and standard term for a river rapid or rocky shallow. "Gành" is more specifically associated with coastal rock formations. However, they are sometimes used interchangeably in certain regions or poetic contexts.
- Gành Đá Dĩa (The Dĩa Stone Reef/Plateau) is a famous tourist site in Phú Yên province, Vietnam, named for its unique columnar basalt formations by the sea.
Variants and Related Words
- Ghềnh (noun): Rapid, rocky shallow in a river; the more standard term for this fluvial feature.
- Vượt thác ghềnh (To navigate through rapids and waterfalls).
- Mũi đá (noun): Literally "rocky cape"; a near-synonym for the coastal meaning of "gành".
- Bãi đá (noun): Rocky beach; can be related but implies a wider, flatter area.
Synonyms
- Mỏm đá: Rocky promontory/cape.
- Vách đá: Cliff (can be coastal).
- Thác (for the river meaning): Waterfall (specifically for a vertical drop, whereas "ghềnh" is for turbulent, shallow rapids).
Related Phrases (Collocations)
- Gành đá: Rocky reef/outcrop (a very common collocation).
- Nguy hiểm khi tắm biển ở khu vực có gành đá. (It's dangerous to swim in the sea where there are rocky reefs.)
- Đứng trên gành: To stand on the rocky headland.
- Sóng vỗ gành: Waves lapping against the rocky shore.
Related Idioms
- "Lên thác xuống ghềnh": Literally "to go up waterfalls and down rapids"; figuratively means to face numerous difficulties and hardships in life. (Note: This idiom uses "ghềnh", not "gành", but is semantically related to the river rapid meaning.)
- Cuộc đời anh ấy trải qua bao phen lên thác xuống ghềnh. (His life has been through many ups and downs, many hardships.)