Definition

1. Noun:
   • A thin strip or slat: A thin piece of material, typically made from bamboo, rattan, wood, or metal, used as a structural element in woven items like baskets, fans, or mats.
   • A spoke or rib: Specifically refers to the thin strips that form the frame of a traditional hand fan.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chiếc quạt này có mười hai cái nan tre. (This fan has twelve bamboo strips.)
  • Bà tôi đan rổ bằng những chiếc nan trúc rất mỏng. (My grandmother weaves baskets with very thin bamboo strips.)

Advanced Usage

• "tiến thoái lưỡng nan": To be in a dilemma; to be caught between a rock and a hard place. This is a fixed Sino-Vietnamese idiom where "nan" (難) means "difficult" or "trouble," and is a different word from the noun "nan" (strip). It is included here due to its prominence.
  • Anh ấy rơi vào thế tiến thoái lưỡng nan, không biết nên chọn cách nào. (He was in a dilemma, not knowing which option to choose.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nan hoa (n): Spoke (of a bicycle or wheel).
  • Xe đạp của tôi bị gãy một nan hoa. (My bicycle has a broken spoke.)
• Đan nan (v): To weave with strips.
  • Nghệ nhân đang đan nan để làm một cái nón. (The artisan is weaving strips to make a conical hat.)

Synonyms

• Thanh (n): Strip, bar, slat.
• Miếng (n): Piece, strip (though less specific to weaving).

Important Note on Homonyms

The word "nan" has two distinct meanings from different origins: 1. The primary definition above is a pure Vietnamese noun meaning a thin strip. 2. The word in the idiom "tiến thoái lưỡng nan" is a Sino-Vietnamese word (難) meaning "difficulty" or "trouble." They are homonyms (sound the same) but are different words with different characters and usages.

adj

1. difficult
   • tiến thoái lưỡng nan
     to be in a dilemma