lông tơ
Definition
Noun:
- Lanugo: The very fine, soft, and often unpigmented hair that grows on the body of a human fetus or newborn baby. It is the first type of hair to develop.
- Fine body hair: More generally, it can refer to any very fine, soft, and short hair on the skin of humans or animals.
Noun (figurative):
- Early stage / initial state: Used metaphorically to describe something in its earliest, most delicate, or undeveloped form.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trẻ sơ sinh thường có một lớp lông tơ trên người. (Newborn babies often have a layer of lanugo on their bodies.)
- Lông tơ trên cánh tay cô ấy rất mịn. (The fine hair on her arm is very soft.)
- Noun (figurative):
- Ý tưởng đó mới chỉ là lông tơ, chưa phát triển đầy đủ. (That idea is still in its infancy, not fully developed.)
Advanced Usage
- "măng non lông tơ": A poetic phrase combining "young bamboo shoots" and "lanugo" to emphasize extreme youth, tenderness, or newness.
- Những tài năng măng non lông tơ của đội bóng. (The tender, budding talents of the football team.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lông (n): A general term for hair, fur, or feathers.
- Tơ (n): Silk; can refer to fine, silky threads. When combined with "lông," it specifies the fineness of the hair.
Synonyms
- Lanugo: (Medical/biological term) for fetal or newborn fine hair.
- Vellus hair: (Biological term) for the short, fine, light-colored hair that covers most of the body.
- Down: Soft, fine feathers or hair.
- Fuzz: A colloquial term for soft, short fibers or hair.
Related Idioms
- Non nớt như lông tơ: As tender/immature as lanugo; describing someone or something as very young, inexperienced, or fragile.
- Cậu bé còn non nớt như lông tơ. (The boy is still as tender as a newborn's hair.)