Definition

1. Noun:

   • Ship, boat, vessel: A large watercraft designed for transportation across bodies of water.
   • Train: A connected series of railway cars or carriages moved by a locomotive.
   • Spacecraft: A vehicle designed for travel or operation in outer space.
   • Leaf sheath or stem: The large, elongated stem or sheath of certain plants, like a banana or palm leaf.
   • Manger, trough: A long, narrow container for holding food for animals, especially in a stable; can also refer to the stable itself.

2. Adjective (dated):

   • Chinese: Of or relating to China; something made in or originating from China.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Ship):
  • Tàu du lịch đã cập cảng. (The cruise ship has docked.)
• Noun (Train):
  • Chúng tôi đi Hà Nội bằng tàu hoả. (We go to Hanoi by train.)
• Noun (Leaf):
  • Tàu lá chuối bị gió thổi rách. (The banana leaf was torn by the wind.)
• Noun (Manger):
  • Ngựa đang ăn ở trong tàu. (The horse is eating from the manger.)
• Adjective:
  • Ông ấy sưu tập đồ sứ tàu. (He collects Chinese porcelain.)

Advanced Usage

• "tàu ngầm": submarine.
  • Tàu ngầm hoạt động dưới mặt nước. (The submarine operates underwater.)
• "tàu vũ trụ": spaceship.
  • Tàu vũ trụ đã bay vào quỹ đạo. (The spaceship has entered orbit.)
• "tàu điện": tram, streetcar; or (in modern context) metro train.
  • Tàu điện ngầm rất tiện lợi. (The metro train is very convenient.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tàu hoả / Tàu lửa (n): train (railway).
• Tàu thuỷ / Tàu biển (n): ship, seagoing vessel.
• Tàu lá (n): leaf sheath (of a banana, palm, etc.).
• Tàu ngựa (n): horse stable; horse manger.

Synonyms

• Ship: vessel, boat, craft.
• Train: locomotive, railway train.
• Chinese: Sino- (prefix, e.g., Sino-Vietnamese), of Chinese origin.

Related Idioms and Proverbs

• Một con ngựa đau, cả tàu không ăn cỏ: When one horse is sick, the whole stable refuses to eat grass. (Meaning: Members of a close group share in each other's suffering.)
• Chạy như tàu bay: To run very fast, like an airplane. (A simile for running at high speed.)

noun

1. ship, boat, craft. junk stable
   • tàu lá
     a stem of leaf

adj

1. (cũ) Chinese