Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fragment or piece of a shell: A broken part of a hard, brittle outer covering, such as that of an egg, a nut, or a crustacean.
   • A valve (in biology/anatomy): A structure in a living organism that opens and closes to control the flow of fluid, such as in the heart or in certain shells of mollusks.

Usage Examples

• Noun (fragment of a shell):
  • Đứa trẻ nhặt những mảnh vỏ sò trên bãi biển. (The child collected pieces of seashells on the beach.)
  • Một mảnh vỏ trứng rơi xuống sàn. (A piece of eggshell fell on the floor.)
• Noun (biological valve):
  • Các mảnh vỏ của con trai đóng lại khi bị đe dọa. (The clam's valves close when threatened.)
  • Bác sĩ phẫu thuật thay thế mảnh vỏ tim bị hỏng. (The surgeon replaced the damaged heart valve.)

Advanced Usage

• In technical contexts like biology or anatomy, "mảnh vỏ" is a direct translation for "valve," referring to the anatomical structure.
• In marine biology, it can specifically refer to one of the two hinged parts of a bivalve's shell.

Variants and Related Words

• Vỏ (n): Shell, peel, rind, crust. The general term from which "mảnh vỏ" is derived.
  • Vỏ cây (tree bark), vỏ cam (orange peel), vỏ tàu (ship's hull).
• Van (n): Valve. A more common and direct loanword for mechanical or anatomical valves (e.g., - heart valve, - drain valve).

Synonyms

• Fragment/Piece: shard, splinter (of a shell).
• Valve: cusp, flap (in anatomical contexts).

Related Idioms

• While there are no common idioms using "mảnh vỏ" specifically, the root word "vỏ" appears in idioms like:
  • Biết vỏ không biết ruột: To judge by appearances, to know the shell but not the core (meaning to not understand the true inner nature of something).