hoắc lê
Definition
- Noun (literary, archaic):
- A type of vegetable: Specifically refers to a simple, leafy green vegetable, historically likened to amaranth.
- Simple dish; frugal fare: By extension, symbolizes humble, plain, or vegetarian food, representing a modest and austere lifestyle.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Bữa cơm chỉ có đĩa hoắc lê. (The meal consisted only of a plate of simple greens.)
- Ông ấy sống một cuộc đời thanh bần với hương vị hoắc lê. (He lived a life of pure poverty, savoring only frugal fare.)
Advanced Usage
- Used almost exclusively in literary or historical contexts to evoke a sense of rustic simplicity, poverty, or moral asceticism.
- Often appears in contrast to rich or luxurious food to highlight contentment with little.
Variants and Related Words
- Rau giền (n): Amaranth greens. This is the modern, common vegetable to which is often compared.
- Rau giền nấu canh rất mát. (Amaranth greens cooked in soup are very cooling.)
Synonyms
- Plain vegetables: Simple, unadorned plant-based food.
- Humble fare: Modest food.
- Austerity diet: Food representing a strict, simple lifestyle.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Cơm rau hoắc lê: Refers to a diet of rice and simple greens, emblematic of a very poor or ascetic life.
- Thuở hàn vi, ông cụ chỉ quen với cơm rau hoắc lê. (In his early days of hardship, the old man was accustomed only to a diet of rice and humble greens.)
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(từ cũ; nghĩa cũ; văn chương) Vegetable; simple dish, frugal fare
