Definition

1. Noun:
   • Water hyacinth: A free-floating perennial aquatic plant (scientific name: Eichhornia crassipes) with thick, glossy leaves and showy lavender flowers. It is known for its rapid growth and often forms dense mats on the surface of freshwater bodies.
   • A type of floating plant: In general Vietnamese usage, "lục bình" refers to this specific, common floating plant found in rivers, ponds, and canals throughout Vietnam.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mặt hồ phủ đầy lục bình. (The lake surface is covered with water hyacinth.)
  • Lục bình sinh trưởng rất nhanh ở vùng nước tĩnh. (Water hyacinth grows very quickly in still water.)
  • Hoa lục bình có màu tím nhạt rất đẹp. (The water hyacinth flower has a very beautiful light purple color.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bèo lục bình": A common compound name emphasizing its floating nature ("bèo" means duckweed or floating plant).

  • Kênh rạch ở miền Tây ngập tràn bèo lục bình. (The canals in the Mekong Delta are overflowing with water hyacinth.)

• Used metaphorically to describe something that spreads quickly or covers a surface.

  • Tin đồn lan nhanh như lục bình. (The rumor spread as fast as water hyacinth.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bèo tây: A common synonym for "lục bình" in Northern Vietnam.
• Bèo Nhật Bản: Another less common name.
• Eichhornia crassipes: The scientific name.

Synonyms

• Water hyacinth: The direct and most accurate English translation.
• Floating water hyacinth: Emphasizes its growth habit.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Trôi nổi như lục bình: To drift/float like water hyacinth. This idiom describes a life without stability or roots, constantly moving or adrift.

  • Sau chiến tranh, cuộc đời ông trôi nổi như lục bình. (After the war, his life drifted like water hyacinth.)

• Sống đời lục bình: To live a life like the water hyacinth (similar meaning to the above idiom).

  • Những người di cư đôi khi cảm thấy mình sống đời lục bình. (Migrants sometimes feel they are living a rootless life.)

1. (thực) water hyacinth