hành tỏi

Mẹ tôi thường xào hành tỏi với thịt bò.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Garlic chives, Chinese chives: "Hành tỏi" refers to a type of leafy vegetable, specifically Allium tuberosum, known for its flat leaves and garlic-like flavor. It is commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine.
   • (Obsolete/Colloquial) Petty criticism, nitpicking: In a figurative and now less common usage, derived from the phrase "bẻ hành bẻ tỏi," it can mean the act of finding trivial faults or criticizing over minor details.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Vegetable):

  • Món cháo lòng này ăn kèm với hành tỏi thì rất ngon. (This pork organ congee is delicious when eaten with garlic chives.)
  • Mẹ tôi thường xào hành tỏi với thịt bò. (My mother often stir-fries garlic chives with beef.)

• Noun (Figurative: Criticism):

  • Anh ấy chuyên đi hành tỏi người khác. (He specializes in nitpicking others.) [Note: This usage is colloquial and stems from the idiom.]

Advanced Usage

• The primary and standard modern meaning is the vegetable. The critical meaning is almost exclusively invoked through the full idiom "bẻ hành bẻ tỏi" (to nitpick, to split hairs).
  • Đừng có bẻ hành bẻ tỏi từng lời nói của tôi. (Don't nitpick every word I say.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hành lá (n): Green onion, scallion (Allium fistulosum).
• Tỏi (n): Garlic (Allium sativum).
• Hương thảo (n): Aromatic herb (like cilantro, parsley), but not a direct synonym.
• Bẻ hành bẻ tỏi (idiomatic verb phrase): To nitpick, to cavil.

Synonyms

• Rau hẹ (n): Another common name for garlic chives.
• Xén tỏi (n, regional): A term for garlic chives.
• Bắt bẻ (v): To find fault, to pick on (for the critical sense).
• Chê bai (v): To criticize, to disparage.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs/Idioms)

• Bẻ hành bẻ tỏi (Idiom): To nitpick, to find trivial faults. This is the source of the secondary meaning of "hành tỏi."
  • Sếp hay bẻ hành bẻ tỏi về cách trình bày báo cáo. (The boss often nitpicks about the way reports are formatted.)

Related Idioms

• Vạch lá tìm sâu (Idiom): Literally "to part leaves to look for worms," meaning to go out of one's way to find faults. Similar to "bẻ hành bẻ tỏi."
  • Anh ta có tật vạch lá tìm sâu. (He has a habit of fault-finding.)