hoành
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A horizontal beam, ridge-pole, or purlin: A long piece of wood, bamboo, or timber placed horizontally across the roof structure of a traditional Vietnamese house to support the rafters and roofing material.
- A horizontal inscribed board (hoành phi): A lacquered board, often inscribed with Chinese characters, hung horizontally above the altar or main door in a traditional Vietnamese house, temple, or communal house. This is a shortened form of "hoành phi".
Adjective (archaic/classical usage):
- Horizontal, width, breadth: Refers to the horizontal measurement or the side-to-side dimension of an object. This usage is now rare in modern Vietnamese.
Usage Examples
Noun (as a beam):
- Mái nhà được đỡ bởi những cây hoành bằng gỗ lim. (The roof is supported by horizontal beams made of ironwood.)
- Người thợ đang lắp đặt các cây hoành lên khung nhà. (The carpenter is installing the purlins onto the house frame.)
Noun (as an inscribed board):
- Trong đình làng treo một bức hoành sơn son thếp vàng. (A red-lacquered, gold-gilded horizontal board hangs in the village communal house.)
- Bức hoành khắc ba chữ "Phúc - Lộc - Thọ". (The horizontal board is inscribed with the three characters "Phúc - Lộc - Thọ" (Happiness - Prosperity - Longevity).)
Adjective (archaic):
- Cái bàn này hoành hai thước. (This table is two thước in width.) (Note: 'Thước' is an old Vietnamese unit of length.)
Advanced Usage
"Hoành phi": The full term for the horizontal inscribed board. It is a Sino-Vietnamese compound (橫匾).
- Bức hoành phi trong từ đường được chạm trổ tinh xảo. (The horizontal board in the ancestral house is exquisitely carved.)
"Hoành hành": This is a separate, common compound verb meaning "to rage, to run rampant" (e.g., bệnh dịch hoành hành - the epidemic rages). It is not a direct variant of the noun "hoành" and should be learned as a distinct word.
Variants and Related Words
- Hoành phi (n): Horizontal inscribed board. This is the most common compound form.
- Hoành tráng (adj): Magnificent, grand, imposing. This is a separate, modern adjective (e.g., - a magnificent feast). Its connection to "hoành" (width/breadth) is etymological, implying large scale.
- Xà ngang (n): A more general modern term for a horizontal beam or girder.
Synonyms
- Xà (n): Beam, girder (a more general term for a supporting beam).
- Rường (n): Rafter, a key vertical or slanted structural member, often used in contrast with horizontal beams.
- Chiều ngang (n): Width, the horizontal dimension (modern term).
- Bề ngang (n): Breadth, width (modern term).
Related Phrases (Collocations)
- Cây hoành: The horizontal beam/purlin.
- Bức hoành / Bức hoành phi: The horizontal inscribed board.
- Treo hoành phi: To hang a horizontal inscribed board.
- Lắp đặt hoành: To install purlins/beams.
Related Idioms
- "Hoành phi câu đối": A fixed phrase referring to the pair of traditional decorative elements in Vietnamese architecture: the horizontal board (hoành phi) and the parallel sentences (câu đối) often hung on two sides of a pillar or wall.
- Ngôi nhà cổ còn giữ nguyên hệ thống hoành phi câu đối. (The old house still retains its complete set of horizontal boards and parallel sentences.)
- như hoành phi
- (ít dùng) Width
- Cái bàn này hoành hai thước tâyThis table is two metres in width
- Ridge-pole, purlin