Definition

1. Noun:
   • Slow train: A passenger and freight train that stops at most or all stations along its route, as opposed to an express train. The term emphasizes its local, stopping service, often serving smaller communities.
   • Local train: A train that makes frequent stops to pick up and drop off passengers and goods, typically operating on a regular schedule between regional destinations.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chúng tôi đi từ Hà Nội vào Huế bằng tàu chợ. (We traveled from Hanoi to Hue by slow train.)
  • Tàu chợ thường rẻ hơn tàu tốc hành. (Slow trains are usually cheaper than express trains.)
  • Hàng hóa từ làng được chở ra thành phố trên những chuyến tàu chợ. (Goods from the village are transported to the city on local trains.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "tàu chợ" is often used colloquially and can imply a sense of nostalgia or a slower pace of travel, contrasting with modern, high-speed transport.
• In a historical or rural context, it can refer specifically to trains that were vital for connecting local markets ("chợ"), hence the name.

Variants and Related Words

• Tàu tốc hành (n): Express train; a train that makes few stops.
• Tàu hỏa / Xe lửa (n): General terms for train.
• Tàu khách (n): Passenger train.

Synonyms

• Local train
• Stopping train
• Accommodation train (less common)

Related Idioms

• While there is no direct idiom with "tàu chợ", the concept is sometimes used metaphorically to describe something slow, methodical, or that makes many stops, e.g., (The work is progressing like a slow train.)

noun

1. slow train