tản
Definition
Verb:
- To disperse; to scatter; to spread out: Refers to people, animals, or things moving apart from a central point or group, becoming separated and spread over a wider area.
- To break up (a gathering): To cause an assembly or crowd to separate and leave.
Adjective (in compounds):
- Scattered; dispersed; spread out: Describes a state of being widely and thinly distributed over an area.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đám đông tản ra sau buổi họp. (The crowd dispersed after the meeting.)
- Khói tản mất trong gió. (The smoke scattered into the wind.)
- Adjective (in context):
- Dân cư sống tản mát trong vùng núi. (The population lives scattered in the mountainous region.)
Advanced Usage
- "tản bộ": to take a stroll; to go for a walk (literally: to walk in a scattered/leisurely way).
- Ông bà tản bộ trong công viên mỗi chiều. (The elderly couple takes a stroll in the park every evening.)
- "tản cư": to evacuate; to relocate from a war zone or dangerous area.
- Nhiều gia đình phải tản cư khỏi thành phố. (Many families had to evacuate from the city.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tản mát (adj): Scattered here and there; sporadically distributed.
- Những ngôi nhà nằm tản mát ven sông. (The houses lie scattered along the river.)
- Tán (v): A related but distinct verb meaning to chat idly, to converse, or (for plants) to have a canopy. Note the different tone and meaning.
Synonyms
- Disperse: To break up and spread in different directions.
- Scatter: To throw or spread things untidily over a surface or area.
- Break up: To cause a group to separate.
Related Idioms
- "Tản mạn": (thoughts, conversation) Rambling; digressive; not focused on one topic.
- Bài viết có phần tản mạn, thiếu trọng tâm. (The writing is somewhat rambling and lacks focus.)
- "Chạy tản mỗi người một nơi": (From the reference) To run off, each person to a different place; to scatter in all directions.
- Nghe tiếng súng, bọn trẻ chạy tản mỗi người một nơi. (Hearing the gunshot, the children ran off, each in a different direction.)