mảnh vỏ
Definition
- 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).