ke
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun (Railway):
- Quay; platform; wharf: A raised, level structure built beside railway tracks at a station or beside water at a port, for the convenient loading/unloading of goods or the boarding/alighting of passengers.
Adjective (Colloquial):
- Stingy; miserly; tight-fisted: Describes a person who is extremely unwilling to spend money.
- Rustic; uncouth; slow-witted (less common): Describes a person who is unsophisticated, awkward, or somewhat foolish.
Noun (Colloquial, from "kẽ răng"):
- Tartar; dental plaque: The yellowish, hardened deposit that forms on teeth.
- Drool; saliva: Spittle that flows from the mouth, especially during sleep.
Usage Examples
Noun (Railway):
- Hành khách đứng chờ trên ke. (Passengers wait on the platform.)
- Hàng hóa được chất đống ở ke tàu. (Goods are piled up at the wharf.)
Adjective (Stingy):
- Ông chủ ấy ke lắm, chẳng bao giờ thưởng cho nhân viên. (That boss is very stingy; he never gives bonuses to the staff.)
- Đừng có ke, mời tụi bạn ly cà phê đi. (Don't be so tight-fisted, buy your friends a cup of coffee.)
Noun (Tartar/Drool):
- Đánh răng kỹ để không bị ke. (Brush your teeth thoroughly to avoid tartar.)
- Đứa bé ngủ, miệng chảy đầy ke. (The baby slept, drooling heavily.)
Advanced Usage
- "Vé ke": A platform ticket; a ticket allowing access to the railway platform (but not for travel).
- Anh ta mua vé ke để tiễn người thân. (He bought a platform ticket to see off his relative.)
Variants and Related Words
- Keo kiệt (adj): Stingy, miserly. This is a more standard synonym for the adjective "ke."
- Bần tiện (adj): Mean, wretchedly stingy.
- Bến tàu (n): Wharf, pier (similar to the "ke" for ships).
Synonyms
- For "stingy": miserly, parsimonious, cheap, niggardly.
- For "platform": quay, dock, wharf, jetty.
- For "tartar": dental calculus, plaque.
- For "drool": saliva, slobber.
Related Idioms
- Ke có (adj phrase): An intensified form meaning extremely stingy or miserly.
- Bà ấy ke có nổi tiếng trong xóm. (She is famously miserly in the neighborhood.)
- Giàu nhưng ke: Rich but stingy.
- Ông ta giàu nhưng ke nên chẳng ai quý. (He is rich but stingy, so no one likes him.)