mảnh
Definition
Noun:
- A fragment, a piece, a shard: A part of a solid object that has broken off from a larger whole (e.g., from something shattered or torn).
- A plot, a parcel, a patch: A defined, often small, piece or section of something larger, such as land or fabric.
- A sliver, a sliver, a shred: A very thin, narrow piece of something.
Adjective:
- Slender, slim, thin: Describing a person or object that is gracefully thin or delicate in build.
- Fine, delicate, thin: Describing something with a small diameter or a light, subtle quality, like a line, thread, or stream of water.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Cậu bé nhặt những mảnh kính vỡ. (The boy picked up the shards of broken glass.)
- Bà ấy có một mảnh vườn nhỏ sau nhà. (She has a small patch of garden behind the house.)
- Chỉ còn lại một mảnh vải rách. (Only a shred of torn fabric remained.)
Adjective:
- Cô ấy có dáng người mảnh mai. (She has a slender figure.)
- Một tia nước mảnh chảy từ vòi. (A thin stream of water flowed from the faucet.)
Advanced Usage
"Ăn mảnh": To eat separately or alone, often implying eating apart from a group.
- Vì bận việc, anh ấy thường phải ăn mảnh. (Because he is busy, he often has to eat alone.)
"Bàn mảnh": To discuss something separately or in private.
- Hai giám đốc bàn mảnh về hợp đồng. (The two directors discussed the contract in private.)
Variants and Related Words
Mảnh mai (adj): Slender, delicate, graceful (often for a person's figure).
- Cây hoa với thân mảnh mai. (A flower with a delicate stem.)
Mảnh vỡ (n): A fragment, a piece of debris (from something broken).
- Công nhân dọn dẹp mảnh vỡ sau vụ nổ. (Workers cleaned up the debris after the explosion.)
Mảnh đất (n): A plot of land, a parcel of land.
- Họ mua một mảnh đất để xây nhà. (They bought a plot of land to build a house.)
Synonyms
- Fragment, piece, shard: For a broken part.
- Plot, parcel, section: For a part of land.
- Slender, slim, thin: For physical build.
- Fine, delicate: For texture or line.
Related Idioms
- Mảnh tình: A fragment of love; often used poetically to imply a broken or incomplete love.
- Chia tay, anh để lại cho cô ấy chỉ một mảnh tình tan vỡ. (Breaking up, he left her with only a fragment of shattered love.)