Definition

1. Noun:
   • Low water level: The state when the water level in a river, lake, or sea is lower than usual or is receding.
   • Ebb tide, low tide: The period when the tide is receding or is at its lowest point.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mùa khô, nước xuống để lộ ra những bãi cát trắng. (In the dry season, the low water reveals white sandbanks.)
  • Chúng tôi đi bắt ốc lúc nước xuống. (We go to collect snails during low tide.)
  • Sau cơn bão, nước sông mới bắt đầu xuống. (After the storm, the river water level is finally starting to go down.)

Advanced Usage

• "nước xuống, cá nhảy": An idiom implying that when conditions become difficult (like low water), hidden problems or conflicts (the "fish jumping") become visible. It describes a situation where adversity reveals true character or issues.
  • Công ty gặp khó khăn, nhân viên bắt đầu tranh cãi, đúng là "nước xuống cá nhảy". (The company faced difficulties, and employees started to argue—truly a case of "when the water recedes, the fish jump".)

Variants and Related Words

• Nước rút (n): Can mean "low tide" but more commonly refers to the final, intense stage of a competition or project ("sprint" or "final phase"). Context is key.
• Triều xuống (n): A more formal/scientific term specifically for "ebb tide" or "falling tide".
• Nước cạn (n): Refers specifically to "shallow water" or a state where the water level is very low, often dried up.

Synonyms

• Thủy triều xuống: Ebb tide.
• Mực nước thấp: Low water level.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary meaning relates to hydrology and tidal cycles (low water, ebb tide).
• It can be used metaphorically to describe a decline or reduction in other contexts, such as economic activity or emotion, though this is an extended figurative use (e.g., - the anger has subsided). The core meaning remains tied to physical water levels.

1. Low water, low tide, ebb