Definition

1. Noun:

   • Bamboo stock/stump: The lower, thick, and often hard section of a bamboo or rattan cane, including the root base.

2. Adjective (colloquial):

   • Stocky: Describing an animal or person with a solid, thick, and sturdy build.
   • Big and high-ranking (slang): Used informally to describe a person who is both physically large and holds a high position or status.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người nông dân chặt lấy gộc tre để làm hàng rào. (The farmer cut the bamboo stock to make a fence.)
• Adjective:
  • Con lợn gộc này rất nặng ký. (This stocky pig is very heavy.)
  • Ông ta là một nhân vật gộc trong giới kinh doanh. (He is a big shot in the business world.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in rural or colloquial contexts. When referring to people as "gộc", it carries a nuance of rough, unrefined strength or influence, not just physical size.

Variants and Related Words

• Gốc (noun): Root, origin, base. While "gộc" refers specifically to the stump of bamboo/rattan, "gốc" is a more general term for the root or source of anything.

Synonyms

• Noun: Stump, base, stock.
• Adjective: Thickset, burly, hefty (for stocky); bigwig, big cheese, VIP (for high-ranking).

Related Idioms

• Chân *gộc*: Literally "gộc legs", implying very sturdy, pillar-like legs.
  • Lực sĩ ấy có đôi chân gộc. (That weightlifter has legs like tree stumps.)

1. Bamboo stock
2. Stocky
   • Con lợn gộc
     A stocky pig.
3. (thông tục) Big (nói về người)