Definition

1. Verb:

   • (Of a horse) to gallop: To run very fast, at the highest speed.
   • To move or go very quickly: To travel at high speed, often used for vehicles or people.
   • To throw a pointed weapon: To hurl a weapon like a knife or dagger with force.
   • (In cooking) to sauté aromatics: To fry ingredients like garlic or shallots in oil until fragrant and golden, a common first step in Vietnamese cooking.

2. Noun:

   • (Historical) A royal concubine or a prince's wife: A secondary wife of a king or a wife of a prince in the feudal system.
   • (Geography) Africa: A less common, abbreviated form.

3. Particle/Conjunction:

   • If not... then; Were it not for...: Used to introduce an exception or to emphasize that a particular person or thing is the only possible agent or cause. Often used in the structure "Phi X thì...".

Usage Examples

• Verb (to gallop):
  • Con ngựa phi nhanh trên cánh đồng. (The horse galloped fast across the field.)
• Verb (to go quickly):
  • Chiếc xe máy phi vút qua. (The motorbike sped past.)
• Verb (to throw):
  • Hắn phi một nhát dao về phía đối thủ. (He threw a knife toward his opponent.)
• Verb (cooking):
  • Đầu tiên, bạn phi thơm hành khô. (First, you sauté the shallots until fragrant.)
• Noun (royal concubine):
  • Các bà phi sống trong cung cấm. (The royal concubines lived in the inner palace.)
• Particle:
  • Phi nó thì còn ai làm chuyện đó? (If it wasn't him, then who else would do it?)

Advanced Usage

• "Phi nước đại": To gallop at full speed (for a horse); to go at top speed.
  • Con ngựa phi nước đại về phía chuồng. (The horse galloped at full speed toward the stable.)
• "Phi như bay": To move/swift like flying, extremely fast.
  • Chiếc xe phi như bay trên đường cao tốc. (The car sped like flying on the highway.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phi cơ (n): Airplane (compound word: "flying machine").
• Phi công (n): Pilot (compound word: "flight worker").
• Phi hành gia (n): Astronaut (compound word: "space traveler").
• Phi pháp (adj): Illegal, against the law (compound word: "outside the law").
• Phi thường (adj): Extraordinary, exceptional (compound word: "outside the ordinary").

Synonyms

• Phóng (v): To dash, to speed (for movement).
• Ném (v): To throw (for weapons).
• Rán vàng (v): To fry until golden (in cooking).
• Vợ lẽ (n): Concubine (for the noun form).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Phi đi: To speed away.
  • Chiếc ô tô phi đi mất hút. (The car sped away out of sight.)
• Phi thẳng: To go straight at high speed.
  • Anh ấy phi thẳng về nhà. (He went straight home at high speed.)

Related Idioms

• "Phi thương phi nghề": Neither business nor trade; not having a proper profession or skill.
  • Hắn ta phi thương phi nghề, suốt ngày lang thang. (He has no proper trade, wandering around all day.)
• "Phi cao bổ rộng": (Of a bird) to fly high and swoop wide; to have grand ambitions or to operate on a large scale.
  • Công ty mới có chiến lược phi cao bổ rộng. (The new company has a strategy of aiming high and expanding wide.)

verb

1. (of horse) to gallop

noun

1. (Geog) Africa