Definition

1. Noun:

   • Cuttlefish: A type of marine mollusk with a soft body, a hard internal shell (cuttlebone), and ten arms. It is often used as food.
   • Ink: A colored liquid or paste used for writing, drawing, or printing. This can refer to modern liquid ink or traditional solid ink sticks.

2. Adjective:

   • Jet-black: Describes something that is a deep, pure black color, often used for animals like dogs.

3. Noun (figurative):

   • Standard / Measure / Moderation: A prescribed limit, degree, or norm. Refers to an appropriate level or boundary for behavior, speech, or quality.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Cuttlefish):
  • Mẹ mua mực tươi về nướng. (Mom bought fresh cuttlefish to grill.)
• Noun (Ink):
  • Chiếc bút này hết mực rồi. (This pen is out of ink.)
  • Ông cụ mài mực để viết thư pháp. (The old man ground the ink stick to practice calligraphy.)
• Adjective:
  • Con chó mực nhà tôi rất trung thành. (My jet-black dog is very loyal.)
• Noun (Standard/Measure):
  • Cô ấy ăn nói rất có mực. (She speaks with great moderation/propriety.)
  • Cần giữ mực nước trong bể ở mức an toàn. (It is necessary to keep the water level in the tank at a safe standard.)

Advanced Usage

• "mực thước": A compound word meaning "standard, model, or well-measured." It describes something or someone that is proper, exemplary, or follows correct norms.
  • Anh ấy là một người mực thước. (He is a proper and exemplary person.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mực tàu (n): Traditional Chinese/Asian solid ink stick.
  • Nghệ nhân dùng mực tàu để vẽ tranh. (The artisan uses an ink stick to paint.)
• Mực nước (n): Water level.
  • Mực nước sông đang dâng cao. (The river's water level is rising.)
• Mực khô (n): Dried cuttlefish/squid.
  • Mực khô là một món nhậu phổ biến. (Dried cuttlefish is a popular snack with drinks.)
• Bút mực (n): Fountain pen.
  • Tôi thích viết bằng bút mực hơn. (I prefer writing with a fountain pen.)

Synonyms

• Cuttlefish: Squid (a similar marine animal, though technically different).
• Ink: Writing fluid.
• Standard: Norm, benchmark, limit.
• Jet-black: Pitch-black, ebony.

Related Idioms

• Đen như mực: As black as ink; used to describe something very dark or a very unfavorable situation.
  • Tương lai lúc ấy đen như mực. (The future at that time was as black as ink.)
• Nhạt như nước ốc: As bland as snail water; a contrasting idiom sometimes paired with references to "mực" (ink) to imply something is flavorless or uninteresting, though not directly containing the word "mực."

noun

1. cuttle-fish

noun

1. ink