Definition

1. Noun:
   • Rice plants; rice crop: Refers to rice plants in general, especially as a cultivated crop. It encompasses the entire plant and its grain.
   • Rice cultivation; rice farming: Can refer to the activity or business of growing rice.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Năm nay lúa má tốt lắm. (This year, the rice crop is very good.)
  • Ông ấy sống bằng nghề lúa má. (He makes a living from rice farming.)
  • Mùa mưa đến, nhà nông lo cho lúa má. (When the rainy season comes, farmers worry about their rice plants.)

Advanced Usage

• "lo lắng chuyện lúa má": to worry about rice cultivation/farming matters.

  • Người nông dân quanh năm lo lắng chuyện lúa má. (Farmers worry about rice farming matters all year round.)

• "trông nom lúa má": to tend to/look after the rice crop.

  • Hàng ngày, bà ra đồng trông nom lúa má. (Every day, she goes to the field to tend to the rice crop.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lúa (n): Rice (the plant or the unhusked grain). This is the core word; "lúa má" is a more general or collective term.
• Má (n, archaic/regional): In this compound, it acts as a nominalizer, emphasizing the concept as a livelihood or valuable asset. It is not commonly used alone in modern Vietnamese with this meaning.
• Cây lúa (n): Rice plant.
• Vụ lúa (n): Rice crop/season.
• Nghề nông (n): Farming/agriculture (broader term).

Synonyms

• Mùa màng (n): Crops, harvest (a broader term that can include rice).
• Hoàng lương (n, literary): Millet and rice; staple grains (a more classical/literary term).

Related Phrases

• "Đầu tắt mặt tối vì lúa má": To work from dawn till dusk for the rice crop; to toil incessantly for farming.
  • Ngày xưa, cha mẹ tôi đầu tắt mặt tối vì lúa má. (In the past, my parents toiled from dawn till dusk for the rice crop.)

Related Idioms

• "No cơm ấm áo, nhờ lúa má": To have enough food and warm clothes thanks to the rice crop; highlighting the fundamental importance of rice farming.
  • Đời sống nông dân no cơm ấm áo, nhờ lúa má là chính. (The farmers' livelihood, with enough food and clothing, depends mainly on the rice crop.)