Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of citrus fruit; mandarin; mandarine: "quít" refers to a small citrus fruit, similar to but distinct from an orange. It is typically smaller, slightly flattened, with a loose, easy-to-peel skin that is somewhat spicy and can be used as medicine (called "trần bì").
   • The tree bearing this fruit: "quít" can also refer to the small tree that produces this fruit, belonging to the same family as the orange tree.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ tôi mua một cân quít ở chợ. (My mother bought a kilogram of mandarins at the market.)
  • Vườn nhà bà tôi có hai cây quít rất sai quả. (My grandmother's garden has two mandarin trees that bear a lot of fruit.)
  • Vỏ quít phơi khô là một vị thuốc đông y. (Dried mandarin peel is a ingredient in traditional medicine.)

Advanced Usage

• "quít" vs. "quýt": In modern standard Vietnamese, "quýt" is the more common and standard spelling for this fruit. "Quít" is an older or variant form. They refer to the same fruit.
  • Trong văn nói, "quít" và "quýt" thường được dùng thay thế cho nhau. (In spoken language, "quít" and "quýt" are often used interchangeably.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quýt (n): The standard modern term for mandarin/mandarine. This is the more commonly used form.
• Cam (n): Orange. A related but larger and typically sweeter citrus fruit.
• Trần bì (n): Dried mandarin peel, used as a spice and in traditional medicine.
• Cây có múi / Cây họ cam quýt (n): Citrus tree / Citrus plant.

Synonyms

• Mandarin: (English) The most direct equivalent.
• Mandarine: (English) Alternative spelling.
• Tangerine: (English) A very similar type of citrus fruit; often used interchangeably with "mandarin" in English, though there are subtle differences.

Related Phrases

• Bóc vỏ quít: To peel a mandarin.
  • Trẻ con rất thích bóc vỏ quít. (Children love peeling mandarins.)
• Múi quít: A segment/section of a mandarin.
  • Mỗi quả quít có khoảng tám đến mười múi. (Each mandarin has about eight to ten segments.)

Related Idioms

• "Quít làm cam chịu": Literally "The mandarin acts, the orange bears the blame." This idiom means that one person commits a mistake or wrongdoing, but another innocent person is blamed or has to suffer the consequences. It is similar to the English idiom "to be the scapegoat."
  • Anh ta phá hỏng máy tính nhưng tôi lại bị mắng, đúng là quít làm cam chịu. (He broke the computer but I got scolded, it's a real case of the innocent taking the blame.)

noun

1. mandarin; mandarine