Definition

1. Noun:

   • Forest; Woods: A large area of land covered densely with trees and undergrowth. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • Jungle: A dense, tropical forest, often implying a wild, tangled, and sometimes impenetrable area.
   • Multitude; Forest (figurative): A very large, dense collection of things standing upright or close together, resembling a forest.

2. Adjective (used in compounds):

   • Wild; Feral: Describes an animal or plant species that lives or grows in a natural, undomesticated state, typically in the forest. This meaning almost always appears combined with a noun (e.g., mèo rừng).

Usage Examples

• Noun (Forest):
  • Chúng tôi đi bộ xuyên qua khu rừng già. (We hiked through the old-growth forest.)
  • Nhiều loài động vật quý hiếm sinh sống trong rừng. (Many rare animal species live in the woods.)
• Noun (Jungle):
  • Đoàn thám hiểm bị lạc trong rừng rậm Amazon. (The expedition got lost in the Amazon jungle.)
• Noun (Figurative multitude):
  • Một rừng cờ đỏ sao vàng chào đón đoàn vận động viên. (A forest of red and gold-starred flags welcomed the athletes.)
• Adjective (Wild):
  • Ở vùng này đôi khi có lợn rừng phá hoại mùa màng. (In this area, wild boars sometimes damage crops.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative use of to mean a vast, dense collection is common in literary and descriptive language (e.g., - a sea of people, - a forest of raised hands).
• In compounds, as an adjective specifies the natural, wild origin of something (e.g., - wild orchid, - wild bee).

Variants and Related Words

• Rừng rậm (n): Dense forest; jungle. Emphasizes thickness and impenetrability.
• Rừng già (n): Old-growth forest; primary forest.
• Rừng nguyên sinh (n): Primary/primeval forest.
• Rừng trồng (n): Plantation forest.
• Rừng núi (n): Mountains and forests; a mountainous forested region.

Synonyms

• Forest/Woods: woodland, timberland, grove.
• Jungle: rainforest, tropical forest.
• Wild: feral, undomesticated, untamed.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Thấy cây mà chẳng thấy rừng: "To see the tree but not the forest." Equivalent to "can't see the forest for the trees." It means to focus on small details and miss the bigger picture.
• Rừng vàng biển bạc: "Golden forests, silver seas." A proverb describing a country abundant in natural resources.
• Chở củi về rừng: "To carry firewood to the forest." Equivalent to "to carry coals to Newcastle." It means to do something redundant or unnecessary.

noun

1. wood; forest; jungle

adj

1. wild; savage
   • mèo rừng
     wild cat