Definition

Noun: - Silkworm: The larva (caterpillar) of the silkmoth (Bombyx mori), which feeds on mulberry leaves and produces silk thread to spin its cocoon.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhà bà ấy có nuôi tằm. (Her family raises silkworms.)
  • Lá dâu là thức ăn chính của tằm. (Mulberry leaves are the main food for silkworms.)
  • Con tằm đang nhả tơ để kén. (The silkworm is spinning silk to make its cocoon.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tằm ăn rỗi": Refers to silkworms in the molting stage, when they stop eating. This phrase is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a period of inactivity or rest.
  • Đàn tằm đang trong thời kỳ tằm ăn rỗi. (The silkworms are in the molting stage.)
• "Tằm chín": Refers to mature silkworms that are ready to spin cocoons.
  • Khi tằm chín, chúng sẽ tìm chỗ để nhả tơ. (When silkworms are mature, they will find a place to spin silk.)

Variants and Related Words

• Con tằm (n): The most common term for "silkworm."
• Nuôi tằm (v): To raise/cultivate silkworms (sericulture).
  • Nghề nuôi tằm đã có từ lâu đời ở Việt Nam. (The occupation of sericulture has existed for a long time in Vietnam.)
• Tơ tằm (n): Silk thread or fabric produced by silkworms.
  • Áo lụa được dệt từ tơ tằm. (Silk dresses are woven from silk thread.)
• Trứng tằm (n): Silkworm eggs.
• Kén tằm (n): Silkworm cocoon.

Synonyms

• Sâu tơ: Another, less common term for silkworm, literally "silk caterpillar."

Related Phrases

• "Tằm ăn lá dâu": A common phrase describing the fundamental relationship: "Silkworms eat mulberry leaves." It underscores a natural, essential connection.
• "Nhả tơ như tằm": An idiom meaning "to spin silk like a silkworm," often used to praise someone for working diligently and productively.
  • Cô ấy làm việc cần mẫn, nhả tơ như tằm. (She works diligently, spinning silk like a silkworm.)

noun

1. silkworm