lưỡi hái
Definition
- Noun:
- Sickle blade, scythe blade: The sharp, curved metal cutting part of a sickle or scythe, used for harvesting crops like rice or cutting grass.
- Anatomical term (archaic/technical): Refers to the keel bone (breastbone) of a bird, due to its shape resembling a sickle blade. This usage is highly specialized.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Người nông dân mài sắc lưỡi hái trước mùa gặt. (The farmer sharpened the sickle blade before the harvest season.)
- Chiếc lưỡi hái này đã cũ nhưng vẫn còn sắc. (This scythe blade is old but still sharp.)
- (Anatomical) Xương lưỡi hái của chim rất phát triển. (The bird's keel bone is very developed.)
Advanced Usage
- Symbolic Use: The 'lưỡi hái' is a common symbol associated with agriculture, harvest, and sometimes, in Western iconography, with the figure of Death (the Grim Reaper).
- Trong nhiều bức tranh, Thần Chết được miêu tả cầm một chiếc lưỡi hái. (In many paintings, Death is depicted holding a scythe.)
Variants and Related Words
- Cái hái / Chiếc hái (n): The complete tool including the blade ('lưỡi hái') and the handle. This refers to the whole sickle or scythe.
- Anh ấy cắt cỏ bằng một chiếc hái. (He cuts grass with a scythe.)
- Lưỡi (n): A general word for "blade" (e.g., knife blade, sword blade).
- Cái liềm (n): A smaller, hand-held sickle, often with a more circular blade than a 'hái'.
Synonyms
- Lưỡi liềm (n): Sickle blade. (Note: 'Liềm' often implies a smaller, one-handed tool compared to 'hái').
- Phần lưỡi cắt của cái hái: The cutting blade part of a scythe. (A descriptive phrase).
Related Phrases
- Gặt bằng hái: To harvest using a scythe.
- Ông bà ta ngày xưa thường gặt lúa bằng hái. (Our ancestors used to harvest rice with a scythe.)
Related Idioms
- (As sharp) as a scythe blade: Used to describe something very sharp (though this is a conceptual translation of the imagery).
- Con dao này sắc như lưỡi hái. (This knife is as sharp as a scythe blade.)