khói
Noun: 1. Smoke: A visible suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air, typically produced by combustion or burning. This is the most common meaning. 2. Steam, vapor, mist: A visible mass of tiny water droplets or other condensed matter suspended in the air, often rising from a hot liquid or surface. This meaning is used in specific contexts, often poetically or descriptively.
Noun (Smoke):
- Khói bốc lên từ ống khói nhà máy. (Smoke rises from the factory chimney.)
- Căn phòng đầy khói thuốc lá. (The room is full of cigarette smoke.)
- Không có lửa làm sao có khói. (Where there's smoke, there's fire. / Literally: Without fire, how can there be smoke?)
Noun (Steam/Vapor):
- Khói nghi ngút từ nồi cơm mới chín. (Steam billows from the freshly cooked rice pot.)
- Mặt hồ phủ một làn khói sương mỏng. (The lake's surface is covered with a thin mist of fog.)
"Khói lửa": Literally "smoke and fire," used metaphorically to refer to war, conflict, or a dangerous, turbulent situation.
- Anh ấy đã trải qua những năm tháng khói lửa chiến tranh. (He lived through the smoke and fire of the war years.)
"Khói hương": Literally "incense smoke," refers to the smoke from burning incense sticks, often in a religious or ceremonial context.
- Khói hương tỏa ra từ bàn thờ tổ tiên. (Incense smoke wafts from the ancestral altar.)
Khói bụi (n): Dust and smoke; grime.
- Thành phố bị bao phủ bởi khói bụi. (The city is covered in dust and smoke.)
Khói xe (n): Exhaust fumes (from vehicles).
- Khói xe gây ô nhiễm không khí. (Vehicle exhaust fumes cause air pollution.)
Khói sóng (n): A poetic compound meaning "mist and waves," often describing a scenic, hazy seascape or river view.
- Cảnh sông nước mênh mông khói sóng. (A vast river scene of mist and waves.)
- Hơi nước: Steam, water vapor.
- Sương mù: Fog, mist.
- Làn khói: A wisp of smoke/steam.
Bốc khói: To emit smoke/steam; to fume.
- Núi lửa đang bốc khói. (The volcano is emitting smoke.)
Tan thành khói: To vanish into thin air; to disappear completely.
- Hy vọng của anh ấy tan thành khói. (His hopes vanished into thin air.)
Khói lam chiều: The evening cooking smoke (from rural kitchens); evokes imagery of peaceful countryside life at dusk.
- Hình ảnh khói lam chiều gợi nhớ quê hương. (The image of evening cooking smoke evokes memories of home.)
Đầu voi đuôi chuột / Khởi đầu như rồng cuối cùng như giun: These are different idioms, but the concept of something impressive deteriorating is sometimes metaphorically linked to strong fire producing only weak smoke. However, "khói" itself is not the core of a major standalone idiom. Its idiomatic use is primarily in the compounds and phrases listed above.