Definitions

1. Noun:

   • Curtain; screen: A piece of fabric hung to cover a window, doorway, or stage, or to separate areas. It can also refer to a physical barrier like a smoke screen.
   • Mosquito net: A fine mesh net hung over a bed or sleeping area to protect against mosquitoes and other insects.
   • Act (in a play): A major division within a theatrical performance, from the raising of the curtain to its fall before the next act begins.
   • Veil; layer (figurative): A thin, obscuring layer of something, such as fog or smoke.

2. Verb (less common):

   • To dock; to berth (of a ship): Refers to a ship stopping and staying at a wharf or port.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Curtain/Screen):

  • Màn cửa sổ (window curtain)
  • Màn khói (smoke screen)
  • Hạ màn (to lower the curtain [on stage]; to conclude an event).

• Noun (Mosquito net):

  • Ngủ trong màn (to sleep under a mosquito net).
  • Mắc màn trước khi đi ngủ (Hang up the mosquito net before going to sleep).

• Noun (Act in a play):

  • Vở kịch có ba màn (The play has three acts).
  • Màn kịch cảm động (a moving act/scene in a play).

• Noun (Veil/Layer):

  • Màn sương (a veil of mist/fog).
  • Màn đêm (the curtain of night).

• Verb (To dock):

  • Con tàu đã màn ở bến cảng (The ship has docked at the port).

Advanced Usage

• "Màn trời chiếu đất": An idiom meaning "the sky as a curtain, the earth as a mat," describing the state of sleeping outdoors with no shelter.

  • Họ phải ngủ màn trời chiếu đất trong chuyến đi. (They had to sleep under the open sky during the trip.)

• "Mở màn" / "Khai mạc": To open the curtain; to inaugurate or commence an event, ceremony, or performance.

  • Lễ hội chính thức mở màn vào tối nay. (The festival officially opens tonight.)

• "Hạ màn": To lower the curtain; to conclude a performance or event. Often used figuratively.

  • Buổi biểu diễn đã hạ màn lúc 10 giờ. (The performance concluded at 10 o'clock.)

Variants and Related Words

• Màn ảnh (noun): Screen (e.g., movie screen, TV screen). (the small screen - television); (the silver screen - cinema).
• Mành (noun): Bamboo screen/blind; a lighter, often rollable screen or curtain.
• Màn hình (noun): Monitor screen, display (of a computer, phone, etc.).

Synonyms

• Rèm (noun): Curtain, drape (specifically for windows).
• Mùng (noun): Mosquito net (regional synonym, more common in Southern Vietnam).
• Lớp (noun): Layer; can sometimes be used figuratively like (e.g., - a layer of fog).
• Hồi (noun): Act, chapter (in a story or play, similar to ).

Related Phrases

• Đằng sau màn (Behind the curtain): Refers to something happening secretly or backstage.
  • Những cuộc đàm phán diễn ra đằng sau màn. (The negotiations took place behind the scenes.)
• Vén màn (To lift the curtain): To reveal, to disclose a secret or to begin something.
  • Nhà nghiên cứu vén màn bí mật của lịch sử. (The researcher unveiled the secret of history.)

Related Idioms

• "Màn ai nấy che, chiếu ai nấy trải": Literally "Each person hangs their own net, spreads their own mat." Means everyone must take care of their own affairs and responsibilities.
• "Treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó" (Hang a goat's head, sell dog's meat): While not containing , this idiom about deception is conceptually related to the idea of a "curtain" or facade hiding the truth.

noun

1. curtain; screen. mosquito-net