Definition

1. Noun:

   • Small jar / earthenware pot: A container made of fired clay, typically smaller than a large jar (chum), used for storing food or liquids.
   • Stone roller; iron roller; road roller: A heavy cylindrical tool or vehicle, often made of metal or stone, used to compact and flatten surfaces like soil or roadbeds.

2. Adjective:

   • Fuzzy; dim; poor (of light): Describes a light source that is weak, unclear, or provides insufficient illumination.
   • Faded; obscure; on the decline: Describes something that has become indistinct, blurred, or is losing its prominence or clarity.

Usage Examples

• Noun (jar):

  • Mẹ mua một lu tương đầy. (Mother bought a full jar of soybean paste.)
  • Lu nước mắm để trong góc bếp. (The fish sauce jar is in the kitchen corner.)

• Noun (roller):

  • Công nhân dùng lu để đầm nền đường. (The workers use a roller to compact the roadbed.)
  • Xe lu đang làm việc trên đường cao tốc mới. (The road roller is working on the new highway.)

• Adjective (light):

  • Đèn này lu quá, không đọc sách được. (This lamp is too dim; I can't read.)
  • Ánh sáng lu trong phòng tạo không khí ảm đạm. (The dim light in the room creates a gloomy atmosphere.)

• Adjective (faded/declining):

  • Danh tiếng của ông ấy đã bắt đầu lu mờ. (His reputation has begun to fade.)
  • Những ký ức về tuổi thơ dần trở nên lu trong tâm trí cô. (Memories of her childhood gradually became fuzzy in her mind.)

Advanced Usage

• "lu mờ": to become dim; to fade; to be on the decline. Often used for reputation, memory, or influence.
  • Sự ảnh hưởng của chủ nghĩa ấy đang lu mờ dần. (The influence of that ideology is gradually declining.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xe lu (n): road roller, steamroller. The common compound term for the vehicle.
  • Xe lu phải di chuyển chậm trên công trường. (The road roller must move slowly on the construction site.)

Synonyms

• Noun (jar): pot, crock.
• Noun (roller): compactor, steamroller.
• Adjective (dim): faint, weak, gloomy.
• Adjective (faded): obscure, indistinct, waning.

Related Idioms

• "Chữ lu": Refers to blurry, illegible writing or unclear text. From a folk verse: (I thought the writing was clear, who would have guessed it was blurry.)
• "Bóng trăng lu": describes the dim or obscured light of the moon.
  • Bóng trăng lu khi mây đen kéo đến. (The moonlight grew dim as dark clouds approached.)

noun

1. small jar

noun

1. stone roller; iron roller

adj

1. fuzzy; dim
   • đèn này lu quá
     this lamp give a poor light
   • lu mờ
     to be on the decline