Definition

1. Noun:
   • Straw: The dried stalks of grain plants, especially rice, after the grain has been threshed. It is a common agricultural byproduct.
   • Rice straw: Specifically refers to the straw from rice plants, which is widely used in Vietnam.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người nông dân chất đống rơm sau khi thu hoạch. (The farmer stacked the straw after the harvest.)
  • Mùi rơm khô rất đặc trưng ở nông thôn. (The smell of dry straw is very characteristic in the countryside.)
  • Họ lợp mái nhà bằng rơm. (They roofed the house with straw.)

Advanced Usage

• "Quyền rơm vạ đá": A Vietnamese idiom meaning "straw authority, stone punishment." It describes a position with little real power but heavy responsibility, often used for a scapegoat.
  • Anh ta chỉ là quyền rơm vạ đá trong công ty đó. (He is just a figurehead with all the blame in that company.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rơm rạ (n): A compound term often referring collectively to straw and stubble, emphasizing dry, leftover plant material from the field.
  • Cánh đồng sau gặt chỉ còn trơ rơm rạ. (The field after harvesting only has straw and stubble left.)

Synonyms

• Straw: The primary and most direct synonym.
• Hay: (In English context) Dried grass used as animal fodder, similar but not identical.

Related Idioms

• "Lửa gần rơm": Literally "fire near straw." An idiom describing a situation prone to trouble, often used to warn about the dangers of a boy and girl being in close, unsupervised proximity.
  • Bố mẹ lo lắng vì lửa gần rơm. (The parents are worried because it's a risky situation [like fire near straw].)
• "Nệm rơm": Straw mattress.
  • Ông bà tôi ngủ trên nệm rơm. (My grandparents slept on a straw mattress.)

noun

1. straw
   • rơm lúa
     rice traw