Definition

1. Noun:
   • The organ of sight; eye: The part of the body that allows humans and animals to see.
   • A bud or node on a plant stem: A small, often slightly raised or indented point on the stem of certain plants (like bamboo or potatoes) from which a new shoot can grow.
   • A section or segment of a fruit: One of the small, distinct, often diamond-shaped sections on the surface of a compound fruit like a pineapple or sugar-apple (na).
   • A mesh or opening in a net, sieve, or woven item: One of the regular holes or spaces in a net, sieve, basket, or hammock.
   • A link in a chain: Short for "mắt xích," meaning a single ring or segment in a chain.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Organ of sight):
  • Cô ấy có đôi mắt rất đẹp. (She has very beautiful eyes.)
  • Khói làm cay mắt. (The smoke stings the eyes.)
• Noun (Plant bud):
  • Khoai tây mọc mầm từ các mắt. (Potatoes sprout from their eyes.)
• Noun (Fruit section):
  • Gọt dứa phải gọt sâu để bỏ hết các mắt. (To peel a pineapple, you must cut deep to remove all the eyes.)
• Noun (Mesh/opening):
  • Lưới đánh cá có mắt rất nhỏ. (The fishing net has very small meshes.)
• Noun (Chain link):
  • Sợi xích bị đứt một mắt. (The chain is broken at one link.)

Advanced Usage

• "bằng mắt thường": with the naked eye; without the aid of instruments.
  • Có thể nhìn thấy ngôi sao đó bằng mắt thường. (You can see that star with the naked eye.)
• "để mắt tới": to keep an eye on; to pay attention to.
  • Anh ta luôn để mắt tới những cơ hội kinh doanh mới. (He always keeps an eye out for new business opportunities.)
• "mắt nhắm mắt mở": half-asleep; with eyes barely open; doing something carelessly or half-heartedly.
  • Tôi lái xe về nhà trong tình trạng mắt nhắm mắt mở vì mệt. (I drove home half-asleep because I was tired.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mắt xích (n): chain link. (This is the full form where "mắt" is used as a short form.)
• Mí mắt (n): eyelid.
• Lòng đen (của mắt) (n): iris (literally "black part of the eye").
• Lòng trắng (của mắt) (n): sclera (literally "white part of the eye").
• Con ngươi (n): pupil (of the eye).
• Mắc (v): This is a separate, phonetically similar verb meaning "to get caught/stuck" or "to cost." It is sometimes colloquially written as "mắt" but is a distinct word.

Synonyms

• Nhãn cầu (n): eyeball (a more technical term).
• Con mắt (n): eye (often used in more formal or literary contexts than "mắt" alone).

Related Phrases (Idioms/Collocations)

• Đẹp mắt: pleasing to the eye; visually attractive.
  • Căn phòng được trang trí rất đẹp mắt. (The room is decorated very attractively.)
• Vui mắt: a delight to see; pleasing to look at.
  • Cảnh trẻ em vui chơi thật vui mắt. (The sight of children playing is a delight.)
• Mắt la mày lét: (to look) furtively, sneakily, or fearfully.
  • Đứa trẻ mắt la mày lét nhìn qua cửa sổ. (The child peeked furtively through the window.)
• Mắt trước mắt sau: cautiously; watching carefully in all directions.
  • Anh ấy bước đi mắt trước mắt sau trong con hẻm tối. (He walked cautiously, looking all around, in the dark alley.)
• Nhắm mắt làm ngơ: to turn a blind eye; to deliberately ignore.
  • Chính quyền không thể nhắm mắt làm ngơ trước vấn đề này. (The authorities cannot turn a blind eye to this problem.)

noun

1. eye. eye
   • khói làm cay mắt
     smoke stings the eyes