Definition

1. Noun:
   • A piece, section, or chunk of something: A part of a whole object, often with a certain length, that is separated or considered separately.
   • A short piece of music, song, or poem: A short, often lyrical, composition.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Physical piece):

  • Anh ấy chặt một khúc gỗ. (He chopped a chunk of wood.)
  • Mẹ mua một khúc vải để may áo. (Mom bought a piece of cloth to sew a dress.)
  • Con sông này có một khúc rất nguy hiểm. (This river has a very dangerous section.)

• Noun (Musical/Literary piece):

  • Cô ấy viết một khúc nhạc buồn. (She wrote a sad piece of music.)
  • Đó là một khúc thơ rất nổi tiếng. (That is a very famous short poem.)

Advanced Usage

• "khúc mắc": A knot, a snag, or a complication (often used figuratively for a problem or misunderstanding).
  • Hai bên vẫn còn một vài khúc mắc chưa giải quyết. (The two sides still have a few unresolved complications.)
• "khúc khuỷu": Winding, zigzagging, full of bends (used to describe roads, paths, or figuratively for complicated situations).
  • Con đường lên núi rất khúc khuỷu. (The mountain road is very winding.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đoạn: Segment, passage, paragraph. (Often used interchangeably with "khúc" for sections of text, road, or time, but "đoạn" is more common for non-physical divisions like text.)
• Mảnh: Fragment, piece. (Usually implies a smaller, often broken piece.)
• Miếng: Piece, bit. (Often used for food or small, flat pieces.)
• Khúc khích: (Verb) To giggle, to chuckle softly.

Synonyms

• Đoạn: Section, segment.
• Mảng: Segment, part.
• Phần: Part, portion.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: As "khúc" is primarily a noun, it does not form phrasal verbs in the same way as English verbs. The combinations above ("khúc mắc", "khúc khuỷu") are considered compound nouns/adjectives.)

Related Idioms

• "Sông có khúc, người có lúc": (Proverb) Literally "The river has its bends, people have their times." Meaning: Life has its ups and downs; circumstances change.
• "Đứt từng khúc ruột": Literally "To have one's intestines cut into pieces." Meaning: To be heartbroken, to feel extreme grief or pain.

noun

1. piece; section; chunk
   • khúc vải
     piece of cloth
   • khúc cây
     chunk of wood