Definition

1. 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".

2. 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.)

1. như hoành phi
2. (ít dùng) Width
   • Cái bàn này hoành hai thước tây
     This table is two metres in width
3. Ridge-pole, purlin