Definition

1. Noun:

   • Raw rice; rice: The edible, milled grains of the rice plant (Oryza sativa), which are the staple food after being cooked.
   • (Botany) Kapok tree; silk-cotton tree: A large tropical tree (Bombax ceiba), known for its striking red flowers and cotton-like fiber from its fruit.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To cram; to grind; to study intensively: To learn or memorize material, especially for an exam, in a concentrated, last-minute, and often superficial manner.

Usage Examples

• Noun (rice):
  • Mẹ mua mười cân gạo. (Mom bought ten kilograms of rice.)
  • Cơm được nấu từ gạo. (Rice (cooked) is made from raw rice.)
• Noun (tree):
  • Cây gạo đầu làng nở hoa đỏ rực. (The kapok tree at the village entrance blooms with bright red flowers.)
• Verb (to cram):
  • Nó đang gạo bài để thi ngày mai. (He is cramming for tomorrow's exam.)

Advanced Usage

• "gạo cội": A seasoned veteran; an old hand. Literally "old rice," implying deep experience and longevity in a field.
  • Ông ấy là nghệ sĩ gạo cội của sân khấu. (He is a veteran artist of the stage.)
• "gạo nếp": Glutinous rice; sticky rice.
  • Xôi được làm từ gạo nếp. (Sticky rice dish is made from glutinous rice.)
• "gạo tẻ": Ordinary, non-glutinous rice.
  • Bữa cơm hằng ngày thường dùng gạo tẻ. (Daily meals usually use ordinary rice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xay gạo (v): To mill rice (to remove the husk).
  • Ngày xưa, người ta thường xay gạo bằng cối. (In the past, people often milled rice with a mortar.)
• Nấu cơm (v): To cook rice. This is the action performed with to create the meal.
  • Chị ấy đang nấu cơm cho cả nhà. (She is cooking rice for the whole family.)

Synonyms

• Rice: lúa (rice plant), thóc (unhusked rice), cơm (cooked rice).
• To cram: học nhồi nhét, học tủ.
• Kapok tree: cây mộc miên, cây bo cap.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• "Mạnh vì gạo, bạo vì tiền": Strength comes from rice, boldness comes from money. (Proverb highlighting the importance of basic sustenance and resources.)
• "Học gạo": To cram for exams. (A common phrase derived from the verb meaning.)
  • Học gạo thì khó mà nhớ lâu. (Cramming makes it difficult to remember things long-term.)
• "Có gạo nạo ra cơm": If you have rice, you can scrape out cooked rice. (Proverb meaning if you have the fundamental resource, you can achieve the desired result.)

noun

1. raw rice; rice
2. (Bot) bombax

verb

1. to slave; to grind
   • gạo văn
     to slave at literature