Definition

1. Verb (regional/dialectal):
   • To clear (land) for cultivation; to slash-and-burn: A regional term, synonymous with the more standard word "rẫy," referring to the practice of preparing agricultural land by cutting and burning vegetation.
   • To abandon; to leave fallow: Can imply leaving a cultivated area after use or abandoning it.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người dân tộc trên núi rãy một mảnh đất để trồng lúa. (The ethnic people on the mountain cleared a piece of land to plant rice.)
  • Khu đất đó đã bị rãy từ lâu, nay chỉ còn cỏ mọc. (That land was left fallow long ago; now only grass grows.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "rãy" is primarily used in specific regional dialects of Vietnamese. In standard communication, the word "rẫy" or the phrase "làm rẫy" (to practice slash-and-burn agriculture) is more universally understood.

Variants and Related Words

• Rẫy (n, v): The standard form meaning "swidden field" (noun) or "to practice slash-and-burn" (verb).
  • Họ sống chủ yếu nhờ canh tác trên rẫy. (They live mainly by cultivating on swidden fields.)
• Làm rẫy (v): To engage in slash-and-burn agriculture.
  • Phương thức làm rẫy không còn phổ biến như trước. (The method of slash-and-burn farming is not as common as before.)

Synonyms

• Clear (land): To remove vegetation from an area of land.
• Cultivate (by slash-and-burn): To prepare land for crops by cutting and burning plants.
• Abandon (land): To leave land unused.

Related Terms and Context

• Nương rẫy: A common compound term referring to upland fields used for shifting cultivation.
  • Cuộc sống nương rẫy đầy vất vả. (The life of upland farming is full of hardship.)
• Canh tác du canh: The technical term for shifting cultivation, which is the agricultural system associated with this word.