Definition

1. Verb:
   • To plough/plow (or hoe) soil to make it loose and friable: The agricultural practice of tilling land and then leaving it exposed to air and sun so it dries, becomes crumbly, and improves in texture for cultivation.
   • To fallow (by working the soil): A specific method of preparing fallow land where the soil is worked and then left to weather.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nông dân đang làm ải thửa ruộng trước khi trồng lúa. (The farmers are ploughing the soil to make it loose in the field before planting rice.)
  • Công việc làm ải giúp đất tơi xốp và thoáng khí hơn. (The work of fallowing by tilling helps make the soil more porous and aerated.)
  • Sau khi cày, họ để đất ải trong vài tuần. (After plowing, they leave the land to weather for a few weeks.)

Advanced Usage

• "đất ải": Refers to land that has been tilled and left to weather. It describes the state or result of the process.
  • Trồng cây trên đất ải sẽ cho năng suất cao hơn. (Planting crops on weathered/fallow land will yield better results.)

Variants and Related Words

• ải (verb/adjective): Can function as a verb meaning "to weather (soil)" or an adjective describing soil that is loose and friable due to this process.
  • Đất cần được ải cho thật kỹ. (The soil needs to be weathered thoroughly.)
• Làm đất (verb phrase): A more general term for soil preparation, which may include as one technique.

Synonyms

• Cày ải: To plow for weathering/fallowing (a near-identical compound verb).
• Phơi ải: To sun/air the soil (emphasizes the exposure element).
• Làm tơi đất: To loosen the soil (describes the result).

Notes on Meaning

• This is a specialized agricultural term. The core meaning involves a two-step process: 1) mechanical working (ploughing/hoeing), and 2) natural weathering (drying, aerating). The goal is to improve soil tilth.
• It is distinct from simply (to plow) or (to hoe), as it includes the crucial subsequent period of leaving the land exposed.

1. Plough (hoe) (the soil) loose