Definition

1. Noun:

   • Pebble or gravel: Small, round, and smooth fragments of rock, typically found in riverbeds or streams, ranging in size from 2 to 10 millimeters. Often used for surfacing paths or in construction.
   • Stone (medical): A hard, stone-like mass or concretion that forms abnormally in certain body organs, such as the gallbladder or kidneys, due to disease.

2. Adjective (colloquial):

   • Experienced or efficient: Used informally to describe a person who is highly skilled, savvy, or proficient in a particular area, often implying street-smarts or practical expertise.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Trẻ con thích nhặt những viên sỏi bên bờ sông. (Children like to pick up pebbles by the riverbank.)
  • Đường rải sỏi dẫn vào khu vườn. (A gravel path leads into the garden.)
  • Bác sĩ chẩn đoán bệnh nhân bị sỏi thận. (The doctor diagnosed the patient with a kidney stone.)

• Adjective:

  • Anh ấy là một tay kinh doanh rất sỏi. (He is a very savvy/experienced businessman.)

Advanced Usage

• Medical Terminology: The term is commonly used in compound medical terms to specify the location of the stone.
  • sỏi mật: gallstone.

    • Phẫu thuật để lấy sỏi mật. (Surgery to remove gallstones.)
  • sỏi thận: kidney stone.

    • Bệnh sỏi thận gây đau dữ dội. (Kidney stone disease causes severe pain.)
• The adjective form is almost exclusively used in informal, spoken Vietnamese to describe a person's capability.

Variants and Related Words

• Đá sỏi (n): A general term for stony material, often referring to gravel or crushed stone.
  • Công trường cần một lượng lớn đá sỏi. (The construction site needs a large amount of gravel.)
• Sạn (n): Often used interchangeably with for small gravel, but can also mean grit or a minor flaw.

Synonyms

• Pebble/Gravel: đá cuội, đá dăm.
• Stone (medical): calculi (medical term), concretion.
• Experienced (adj): lão luyện, thành thạo, sành sỏi.

Related Idioms

• Sành sỏi: An idiom meaning highly experienced, knowledgeable, or expert in a particular field, especially in social or practical matters.
  • Ông ấy sành sỏi chuyện thị trường chứng khoán. (He is very knowledgeable about the stock market.)
• Cứng như sỏi đá: An idiom meaning "hard as stone," used literally or figuratively to describe something very hard or a person who is stubborn or unfeeling.
  • Trái tim anh ta cứng như sỏi đá. (His heart is as hard as stone.)

noun

1. pebble, gravel
   • đường rải sỏi
     gravel path stone

adj

1. experienced; efficient