lái
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To steer; to drive; to pilot: To control the direction and movement of a vehicle (car, boat, airplane, etc.).
- To guide; to direct: To skillfully guide a conversation, situation, or activity towards a specific goal or direction.
Noun:
- Helm; rudder; steering wheel: The device or mechanism used for steering a vehicle or vessel.
- Stern: The rear part of a boat or ship.
- Trader; dealer: (When used as a prefix before a noun) A person who trades or deals in a specific commodity.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ấy lái ô tô rất cẩn thận. (He drives a car very carefully.)
- Thuyền trưởng lái con tàu qua cơn bão. (The captain steered the ship through the storm.)
- Cô ấy khéo léo lái câu chuyện sang một chủ đề khác. (She skillfully steered the conversation to another topic.)
- Noun:
- Tay anh nắm chặt lái xe. (His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.)
- Hãy ngồi bớt về phía lái. (Please move forward a bit from the stern.)
- Ông ấy là một lái trâu có tiếng trong vùng. (He is a well-known buffalo trader in the region.)
Advanced Usage
- "lái buôn" / "thương lái": A merchant, trader (often on a larger scale).
- Các thương lái thu mua nông sản. (Merchants purchase agricultural produce.)
- "lái xe": Driver (literally "to drive vehicle").
- Công ty đang tuyển lái xe đường dài. (The company is hiring long-distance drivers.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tay lái (n): Steering wheel; (figuratively) the act or skill of driving/steering.
- Anh ấy là một tay lái cừ khôi. (He is an expert driver.)
- Bánh lái (n): Rudder (for ships/boats).
- Bánh lái tàu bị hỏng. (The ship's rudder is broken.)
- Lái đò (n): Ferryman.
- Bác lái đò chở khách qua sông mỗi ngày. (The ferryman carries passengers across the river every day.)
Synonyms
- Drive/Pilot/Steer: to control a vehicle.
- Guide/Direct/Maneuver: to control a situation.
- Helm/Rudder: a steering device.
- Merchant/Dealer: a trader.
Related Idioms
- Nói lái: A wordplay technique involving the switching of syllables or tones to create a humorous or cryptic meaning.
- Anh ấy thích chơi chữ bằng cách nói lái. (He likes to play with words using nói lái.)
- Cầm lái: To take the helm; to be in charge or in control.
- Người quản lý mới sẽ cầm lái dự án. (The new manager will take the helm of the project.)
noun
- helm; rudder; steering-wheel
verb
- to steer; to drive; to pilot
- lái ô tôto drive a car