Definition

1. Verb:
   • To break fresh ground; to reclaim; to bring under cultivation: The primary meaning refers to the action of clearing and preparing virgin or wasteland for agricultural purposes, such as farming or planting.
   • To develop; to exploit (land): This sense involves the initial development and utilization of previously unused land to make it productive.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Chính phủ khuyến khích người dân đi khai khẩn vùng đất mới. (The government encourages people to go and break fresh ground in new areas.)
  • Ông cha ta đã khai khẩn vùng đồi núi này thành những ruộng bậc thang màu mỡ. (Our ancestors reclaimed these hills and turned them into fertile terraced fields.)
  • Công việc khai khẩn đất hoang đòi hỏi rất nhiều công sức. (The work of bringing wasteland under cultivation requires a lot of effort.)

Advanced Usage

• "đất khai khẩn": reclaimed land; newly cultivated land.
  • Những mảnh đất khai khẩn đầu tiên thường rất màu mỡ. (The first pieces of reclaimed land are often very fertile.)
• "công cuộc khai khẩn": the endeavor/cause of land reclamation.
  • Công cuộc khai khẩn miền Tây được tiến hành vào thế kỷ trước. (The land reclamation of the western region was carried out in the last century.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khai hoang (verb): A near-synonym, specifically meaning to clear wasteland for cultivation. The two terms are often used interchangeably, though "khai khẩn" can sound slightly more formal or broad.
  • Nhiều gia đình đã di cư đến đây để khai hoang lập nghiệp. (Many families migrated here to clear wasteland and start a career.)
• Khai thác (verb): To exploit, to mine. This word is broader and can refer to exploiting natural resources (minerals, forests) and is not limited to land for agriculture.
  • Khai thác khoáng sản (to mine minerals) vs. Khai khẩn đất đai (to reclaim land).

Synonyms

• Vỡ hoang: To break (the) wasteland. A more descriptive synonym focusing on the initial act of breaking the soil.
• Mở mang: To expand, to develop. Can be used in a similar context for developing new areas.
• Quai đê lấn biển: To build dikes to encroach on the sea. A specific type of reclamation.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Khai khẩn đất đai: To reclaim land.
• Khai khẩn ruộng đồng: To reclaim fields.
• Khai khẩn vùng đất mới: To break fresh ground in a new region.

Notes on Meaning

• Historical/Agricultural Context: The word is deeply rooted in Vietnam's history of agricultural expansion and settling new territories. It implies a transformation from wild, unused land to productive, managed land.
• Modern Usage: While still used in agricultural contexts, it can also be applied metaphorically to describe pioneering work in any new field or area of endeavor, though this is less common than the literal meaning.

1. Break fresh ground
   • Miền núi nước ta còn nhiều đất chưa khai khẩn
     In our highlands there is still a lot of fresh ground to break