Definition

1. Verb:

   • To pick up (from a surface): To take something up from a surface, especially something small or scattered, often with the hands or fingers.
   • To gather; to collect: To bring together scattered items, such as fallen objects, crops, or firewood.

2. Adjective:

   • Fast; quick; rapid: Describing a high frequency or tempo, often used for sounds, rhythms, or actions.
   • Close together; dense: Describing things that are placed or occur with little space or time between them (e.g., stitches, bamboo slats in a fence).

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Em bé nhặt những viên sỏi trên bãi biển. (The child picks up pebbles on the beach.)
  • Họ vào rừng nhặt củi khô. (They go into the forest to gather dry firewood.)
• Adjective:
  • Tiếng mưa rơi lúc nhặt lúc thưa. (The sound of the rain falls at times fast and heavy, at times slow and light.)
  • Chiếc phên này được đan rất nhặt. (This bamboo screen is woven very tightly/densely.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhặt được": to find (by picking up); to come across.
  • Anh ấy nhặt được một chiếc ví trên đường. (He found a wallet on the street.)
• The adjective form is commonly used in classical and descriptive language, particularly in poetry or music, to describe rhythm ( – sometimes fast, sometimes slow and measured).

Variants and Related Words

• Nhặt nhạnh (v): To gather up bits and pieces; to collect in a thorough, often painstaking way.
  • Bà cụ nhặt nhạnh từng mẩu bánh mì. (The old lady gathered up every little crumb of bread.)
• Thu nhặt (v): To collect; to gather (often used for information, data, or experiences).
  • Nhà nghiên cứu thu nhặt tài liệu. (The researcher collects documents.)

Synonyms

• Verb: To pick up, to gather, to collect.
• Adjective: Fast, rapid, quick, dense, tight, frequent.

Related Idioms

• Nhặt rau, vặt gạo: (Literally: to pick vegetables, to sort rice) Describes meticulous, careful work involving sorting through small items.
  • Công việc kiểm tra lỗi chi tiết như nhặt rau, vặt gạo. (The job of checking for detailed errors is as meticulous as picking through vegetables and rice.)
• Năng nhặt chặt bị: (Literally: diligent picking fills the bag) Similar to "Many a little makes a mickle" or "Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves." It means that saving or collecting small amounts consistently leads to a large result over time.

verb

1. to pick up; to gather
   • nhặt banh
     to gather the ball

adj

1. fast; quick