Definition

Noun: - A large square cloth used for bundling clothes or belongings when traveling: A traditional item, often a large handkerchief or scarf, used to wrap and carry personal items during journeys.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy dùng chiếc khăn gói để đựng quần áo khi lên đường. (He used a khăn gói to bundle his clothes when setting off.)
  • Trong hình ảnh xưa, người lao động thường vác trên vai một gói đồ buộc trong khăn gói. (In old images, laborers often carried a bundle of belongings tied in a khăn gói over their shoulder.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "khăn gói" is deeply associated with the imagery of departure and travel in Vietnamese culture. It evokes a sense of simplicity, preparation, and movement, often used in literary contexts to depict journeys, migrations, or leaving home.
  • Câu chuyện kể về hành trình khăn gói lên thành phố tìm việc của anh ấy. (The story tells of his journey, khăn gói in hand, to the city to find work.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gói (verb): to wrap, to bundle. This is the verb from which the compound noun "khăn gói" is formed, literally meaning "wrapping cloth."
• Bị (noun): a traditional bag or sack made of cloth, often carried on a pole. It is a related item used for carrying belongings.

Synonyms

• Bọc (noun): a bundle, a pack. This is a more general term for a wrapped package.
• Túi vải (noun): cloth bag. A modern equivalent, though it lacks the specific cultural connotation of a square wrapping cloth.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Khăn gói gió đưa: A poetic idiom describing the scene of setting off on a journey. It conveys the imagery of a traveler with their bundle, ready to go where the wind (or fate) takes them.
  • Tuổi trẻ với ước mơ khăn gói gió đưa. (Youth with dreams of journeys, khăn gói gió đưa.)

1. Lagre handkerchief (to make a bundle of clothes, etc. with)
   • Cho mấy bộ áo quần vào khăn gói
     To bundle a few changes of clothes in a large handkerchief