Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, flat basket or pad, traditionally woven from bamboo, rattan, or similar plant fibers, used as a trivet or stand to place under a hot pot, kettle, or pan. Its primary function is to protect a table or surface from heat damage and to provide stability.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bà tôi luôn đặt ấm nước sôi lên một cái rế. (My grandmother always places the boiling water kettle on a bamboo trivet.)
  • Chiếc nồi nóng được đặt trên rế để không làm hỏng mặt bàn. (The hot pot is placed on a pad to avoid damaging the tabletop.)
  • Rế này được đan rất khéo tay. (This hot pot stand is woven very skillfully.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "rế" is often used metaphorically in idioms to symbolize something old, worn-out, or worthless, typically when paired with another worn-out household item.
  • "chổi cùn rế rách": literally "worn-out broom and torn trivet", meaning old and useless things or a state of poverty and disrepair.

Variants and Related Words

• Đồ rế rách (n): A collective term for old, worn-out, and worthless items.
• Miếng lót nồi (n): A general term for a pot holder or trivet (can be made of various materials, not specifically woven).

Synonyms

• Trivet: A stand for a hot pot or dish.
• Hot pad / Pot holder: A pad used to handle or place under hot cookware.
• Stand: A support for an object.

Related Idioms

• Chổi cùn rế rách: (lit. worn-out broom and torn trivet) Refers to worthless junk or a state of extreme poverty and dilapidation.
  • Họ sống trong cảnh chổi cùn rế rách. (They live in a state of destitution, surrounded by old junk.)
• Nồi nào vung ấy / Nồi nào rế ấy: (lit. every pot has its lid / every pot has its trivet) A proverb meaning "like attracts like" or that things (or people) belong together as a matched set.

noun

1. bamboo basket used as pad for hot pots