Definition

1. Noun:
   • Face: The front part of a person's head, from the forehead to the chin. It can also refer to the front part of an animal's head.
   • Surface: The top or outer layer of something, often a flat or relatively flat area.
   • Side: One of the flat or relatively flat sides of an object, or one aspect of a situation or issue.
   • Right (side): The right-hand side (a less common, dialectal usage).

Usage Examples

• Noun (Face):

  • Anh ấy có một khuôn mặt rất phúc hậu. (He has a very kind face.)
  • Đứa trẻ rửa mặt mỗi sáng. (The child washes his face every morning.)

• Noun (Surface):

  • Chiếc lá nổi trên mặt nước. (The leaf is floating on the water's surface.)
  • Mặt bàn được lau sạch sẽ. (The table surface is wiped clean.)

• Noun (Side/Aspect):

  • Chúng ta cần xem xét vấn đề từ mọi mặt. (We need to consider the problem from all sides/aspects.)
  • Viết chữ chỉ ở một mặt của tờ giấy. (Write only on one side of the paper.)

• Noun (Right side):

  • Rẽ tay mặt ở ngã tư. (Turn right at the intersection.)

Advanced Usage

• "mặt đối mặt": Face to face; in direct confrontation or meeting.

  • Hai nhà lãnh đạo đã gặp nhau mặt đối mặt. (The two leaders met face to face.)

• "trông mặt mà bắt hình dong": (Idiom) Literally "look at the face to capture the likeness"; to judge someone's character or background by their appearance.

  • Đừng trông mặt mà bắt hình dong. (Don't judge a book by its cover.)

• "xa mặt cách lòng": (Idiom) Literally "far from face, distant from heart"; out of sight, out of mind.

  • Họ đã xa nhau lâu, đúng là xa mặt cách lòng. (They have been apart for a long time; truly, out of sight, out of mind.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mặt nạ (noun): Mask.

  • Diễn viên đeo mặt nạ. (The actor wears a mask.)

• Bề mặt (noun): Surface (often more technical or formal than "mặt" alone).

  • Bề mặt của hành tinh này rất gồ ghề. (The surface of this planet is very rugged.)

• Mặt hàng (noun): Commodity, product line.

  • Cửa hàng này có nhiều mặt hàng mới. (This store has many new products.)

Synonyms

• Gương mặt (noun): Face (often with a more literary or refined connotation).
• Bề mặt (noun): Surface.
• Khía cạnh (noun): Aspect, facet.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Đối mặt (với) (verb phrase): To face, to confront.

  • Chúng ta phải đối mặt với sự thật. (We must face the truth.)

• Nổi mặt (verb phrase): To rise to the surface; (figuratively) to become prominent or show oneself.

  • Vấn đề cũ lại nổi mặt. (The old problem has resurfaced.)

Related Idioms

• Mặt sứa gan lim: (Idiom) Literally "face of a jellyfish, liver of ironwood"; describes someone who is stubborn and difficult to teach.

  • Đứa bé đó mặt sứa gan lim, chẳng nghe lời ai. (That child is stubborn as a mule and doesn't listen to anyone.)

• Mặt to tai lớn: (Idiom) Literally "big face, large ears"; refers to an important or high-ranking person.

  • Buổi họp có đủ các mặt to tai lớn trong công ty. (The meeting was attended by all the big shots in the company.)

noun

1. face
   • giáp mặt nhau
     face to face
2. Surface
   • nổi lên mặt nước
     to rise to the surface of the water. side
   • viết một mặt giấy
     write on one side of the paper

noun

1. right
   • giữ phía tay mặt
     to keep to the right