Definition

1. Noun:
   • A winnowing basket: A traditional, flat, shallow basket used in agriculture, especially in rice farming, to separate grain (like rice, "lúa") from chaff by tossing it into the air, allowing the wind ("quạt" as a verb means to fan) to blow away the lighter husks.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người nông dân dùng quạt lúa để làm sạch thóc sau khi tuốt. (The farmer uses a winnowing basket to clean the paddy rice after threshing.)
  • Công việc quạt lúa thường được làm vào lúc có gió. (The work of winnowing with a winnowing basket is usually done when there is wind.)

Advanced Usage

• "quạt lúa" as a compound noun: This term specifically refers to the tool (the basket). The action of using it is described by the verb "quạt" (to winnow, to fan).
  • Bà tôi ngồi quạt thóc bằng cái quạt lúa. (My grandmother sat winnowing paddy rice with the winnowing basket.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quạt (verb): To fan, to winnow. The core action performed with the "quạt lúa".
• Quạt hòm (noun): A regional/local synonym for "quạt lúa", also meaning a winnowing basket.
• Nia (noun): A closely related flat, circular winnowing tray, often made of bamboo, used for a similar purpose.
• Sàng (noun): A sieve or sifting basket, used for separating grains by size rather than by wind.

Synonyms

• Winnowing basket (English equivalent).
• Winnowing fan (a related tool, often a fork or basket used for the same purpose).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• (Công việc) nặng như quạt lúa: (The work is) as heavy as winnowing. This idiom highlights the physical labor involved in traditional winnowing, suggesting a very tiring task.
  • Làm một ngày ở công trường, mệt nặng như quạt lúa. (Working a day at the construction site was as exhausting as winnowing.)

1. (địa phương) như quạt hòm