Definition

Verb: 1. To boil (food): To cook food by immersing it completely in water that is at or near its boiling point until it is done. This is a primary cooking method in Vietnamese cuisine. 2. To sterilize by boiling: To immerse objects (especially medical or laboratory equipment) in boiling water to disinfect them. 3. (Slang, informal) To resell for profit; to pirate: To buy something and then sell it again at a higher price, or to illegally reproduce and distribute a product (like books, media) for profit.

Usage Examples

• Verb (Cooking):
  • Mẹ tôi luộc rau muống cho bữa trưa. (My mother boiled water spinach for lunch.)
  • Trứng luộc là món ăn sáng đơn giản. (Boiled eggs are a simple breakfast.)
• Verb (Sterilizing):
  • Trước khi tiêm, y tá phải luộc kim tiêm. (Before giving an injection, the nurse must boil the syringe.)
• Verb (Slang, reselling):
  • Hắn ta mua vé giá gốc rồi luộc lại với giá cắt cổ. (He bought tickets at face value and then resold them at an exorbitant price.)

Advanced Usage

• "luộc chín" / "luộc kỹ": To boil thoroughly until fully cooked.
  • Thịt gà cần được luộc chín hoàn toàn để đảm bảo an toàn. (Chicken needs to be thoroughly boiled to ensure safety.)
• "luộc lòng": Refers specifically to boiling offal (like intestines, stomach).
  • Quán này có món luộc lòng heo rất ngon. (This restaurant has very delicious boiled pork offal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nước luộc (noun): The broth or water remaining after boiling food, often used as a soup base.
  • Nước luộc gà rất ngọt và bổ dưỡng. (Chicken broth is very sweet and nutritious.)
• Đồ luộc (noun): A general term for boiled dishes/food.
  • Bữa ăn thanh đạm với toàn đồ luộc. (A light meal consisting entirely of boiled food.)

Synonyms

• Nấu (trong nước): To cook (in water). A more general term.
• Đun sôi: To bring to a boil (focuses on the action of heating the liquid, not necessarily the cooking of food in it).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Luộc lại (verb phrase): To boil again; (slang) to resell or pirate.
  • Cơm nguội có thể luộc lại cho nóng. (Leftover rice can be boiled again to heat it up.)
  • Họ luộc lại sách cũ và in thành sách mới. (They pirated the old book and printed it as a new one.)

Related Idioms

• (Bị) luộc (slang): To be cheated, scammed, or taken advantage of in a transaction, often by paying a hugely inflated price.
  • Mua món đồ đó với giá ấy là bị luộc rồi! (Buying that item at that price means you got scammed!)
• Nóng như luộc: (Literally: hot as boiling) Used to describe extremely hot weather.
  • Trời hôm nay nóng như luộc. (The weather today is scorching hot.)

verb

1. to boil
   • luộc chín
     hard-boiled