Definition

1. Noun:
   • Shavings, filings, swarf: Small, thin pieces or chips of material (typically metal, wood, or stone) that are removed by a cutting, drilling, or grinding tool.
   • Drill cuttings, borehole dust: The fine debris or dust (e.g., soil, rock) produced during drilling operations.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy quét sạch những mảnh phoi kim loại trên sàn xưởng. (He swept up the metal shavings from the workshop floor.)
  • Máy khoan tạo ra rất nhiều phoi đá. (The drill produces a lot of rock cuttings.)
  • Cần đeo kính bảo hộ để tránh phoi bắn vào mắt. (Wear safety goggles to prevent swarf from getting into your eyes.)

Advanced Usage

• "Phoi bào": Wood shavings, specifically from planing wood.
  • Mùi thơm của phoi bào gỗ thông lan tỏa trong xưởng mộc. (The fragrance of pine wood shavings filled the carpentry workshop.)
• "Phoi tiện": Lathe turnings, the coiled shavings from a lathe.
  • Những dải phoi tiện bằng đồng sáng bóng rơi xuống đất. (The shiny copper lathe turnings fell to the ground.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phôi (n): A completely different word meaning "embryo" or "blank" (as in a metal blank for stamping coins). Do not confuse with phoi.
  • Phôi thai (embryo)
  • Phôi tiền (coin blank, planchet)
• Mạt (n): Fine powder or dust, often from sanding or crushing. It is finer than phoi.
• Dăm bào (n): Chips and shavings, often used collectively for wood waste.

Synonyms

• Mùn cưa: Sawdust (specifically very fine wood particles).
• Vụn: Fragments, bits, crumbs (more general, can be for food, glass, etc.).

Related Phrases / Compound Terms

• Phoi khoan: Drill cuttings.
• Phoi mài: Grinding swarf.
• Phoi gang: Cast iron shavings.
• Hố thu phoi: Chip pan, swarf tray.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The word phoi is almost exclusively a technical/industrial term. It is not used in everyday conversation outside of contexts involving machining, carpentry, drilling, or similar manual/mechanical work.
• It is crucial to distinguish phoi (shavings) from phôi (embryo/blank), as they are separate words with different tones and meanings.

1. Shavings