Definitions

1. Noun:
   • A small, hard ball, typically made of glass, clay, or agate, used in children's games: This is the primary meaning, referring to the toy itself.
   • The game played with these small balls: In some contexts, it can refer to the game of marbles.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi tìm thấy một hòn bi màu xanh dưới gầm giường. (I found a blue marble under the bed.)
  • Bọn trẻ đang chơi hòn bi trong sân. (The children are playing marbles in the yard.)
  • Hòn bi của anh ấy lăn vào cống. (His marble rolled into the drain.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đánh hòn bi" / "Chơi hòn bi": To play marbles.
  • Chúng tôi thường đánh hòn bi sau giờ học. (We used to play marbles after school.)
• "Thua hòn bi": To lose one's marbles (in the game).
  • Nó đã thua hết hòn bi trong trận đấu. (He lost all his marbles in the match.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bi: A common shortened, colloquial form of "hòn bi".
  • Cậu có viên bi nào đẹp không? (Do you have any nice marbles?)
• Bily (noun): A less common alternative spelling sometimes seen.
• Viên bi: A synonym with the same meaning, where "viên" is a classifier for small, round objects.

Synonyms

• Bille (noun, from French): Marble. This is a direct loanword found in some older Vietnamese contexts.
• Marble (noun, English): The direct translation.

Related Phrases

• Trò chơi bi: The game of marbles.
  • Trò chơi bi là một trò chơi dân gian. (Marbles is a traditional folk game.)
• Bắn bi: To shoot/flick a marble (as an action in the game).
  • Cậu ấy bắn bi rất giỏi. (He is very good at shooting marbles.)

Related Idioms

• Trong như hòn bi ve: As clear as a glass marble (used to describe something very transparent or pure).
  • Nước suối ở đây trong như hòn bi ve. (The stream water here is as clear as a glass marble.)

noun

1. marble