rơm rạ
Definition
- Noun:
- Straw and stubble: A collective term referring to the dry, leftover plant material from rice cultivation after harvesting. "Rơm" specifically means rice straw (the dried stalks), and "rạ" specifically means stubble (the short, stiff stalks left in the ground). Together, they represent the typical agricultural waste in rice fields.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Sau mùa gặt, đồng ruộng phủ đầy rơm rạ. (After the harvest, the fields are covered with straw and stubble.)
- Người nông dân chất đống rơm rạ để làm thức ăn cho trâu. (The farmer piled up the straw and stubble to use as food for the buffalo.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "rơm rạ" is often used to evoke imagery of the Vietnamese countryside, traditional farming life, and rural poverty.
- Cuộc sống nghèo khó gắn liền với mái nhà tranh và rơm rạ. (A life of poverty is associated with thatched roofs and straw.)
Variants and Related Words
Rơm (n): Rice straw (the dried stalks).
- Máy cuộn rơm thành những kiện lớn. (The machine rolls the straw into large bales.)
Rạ (n): Rice stubble (the short base of the stalks left in the field).
- Bước chân trên lớp rạ còn sót lại. (Walking on the leftover stubble.)
Synonyms
- Agricultural residue: General term for plant material left after harvest.
- Chaff: The husks separated from grain, but sometimes used loosely for dry plant waste.
Related Idioms
Chết như rạ: To die in great numbers (like cut stubble).
- Trong trận dịch, gia súc chết như rạ. (During the epidemic, livestock died in great numbers.)
Ngã như rạ: To fall down easily and in succession.
- Những vận động viên ngã như rạ vì đường trơn. (The athletes fell down one after another because the track was slippery.)