tủ
Definition
- Noun:
- Cabinet, Wardrobe, Cupboard: A piece of furniture, typically tall and upright, with a door or doors and sometimes shelves or drawers, used for storing clothes, books, dishes, or other items.
- (Colloquial) Stash, Hoard: A personal collection or reserve of knowledge, materials, or information that one keeps to oneself, often for a specific purpose like an exam.
- (Colloquial) Hidden Cards, Secret Advantage: A concealed resource, plan, or piece of information held in reserve to gain an advantage.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Furniture):
- Cô ấy cất quần áo vào tủ. (She puts her clothes in the wardrobe.)
- Những cuốn sách quý được đặt trong tủ kính. (The precious books are kept in the glass-fronted cabinet.)
- Noun (Personal Stash):
- Anh ấy học tủ vài chương và rất may đề thi trúng tủ. (He studied a few chapters as his pet topics and was very lucky that the exam hit those prepared topics.)
- Nhà văn đó có cả một tủ giai thoại thú vị. (That writer has a whole hoard of interesting anecdotes.)
Advanced Usage
- The concept of "tủ" in academics refers to the practice of selective, intensive study based on predictions of exam questions. "Trúng tủ" means the exam question matches what one prepared; "trật tủ" means it does not.
- Nó chỉ học bài theo kiểu đoán tủ. (He only studies by guessing the likely questions.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tủ lạnh (n): Refrigerator.
- Thức ăn được bảo quản trong tủ lạnh. (The food is preserved in the refrigerator.)
- Tủ quần áo (n): Wardrobe, clothes closet.
- Tủ quần áo này rất rộng. (This wardrobe is very spacious.)
- Tủ sách (n): Bookcase, bookshelf.
- Cả tủ sách đầy tiểu thuyết. (The whole bookcase is full of novels.)
Synonyms
- Furniture: Cabinet, wardrobe, cupboard, locker.
- Collection: Stash, hoard, reserve, cache.
Related Idioms
- Giấu tủ: To hide one's cards; to keep one's knowledge or resources secret.
- Đừng giấu tủ, hãy chia sẻ tài liệu với mọi người. (Don't keep it to yourself, share the materials with everyone.)
- Trúng tủ: To have studied precisely the material that appears on an exam; to get lucky with one's predictions.
- Tôi đã trúng tủ và làm bài rất tốt. (I got the exact topic I studied and did the test very well.)