Definition

1. Noun:

   • Cinnabar: A naturally occurring mercury sulfide mineral (HgS), characterized by its bright red to reddish-brown color. It is the principal ore of mercury.
   • Vermilion: The brilliant red pigment historically made by grinding cinnabar into a fine powder, used in art, decoration, and traditional practices.

2. Noun (Traditional Context):

   • A substance in traditional medicine and alchemy: In East Asian traditions, particularly in Daoist alchemy and traditional medicine, "thần sa" is sometimes considered a substance with symbolic or purported medicinal properties, though it is toxic due to its mercury content.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Màu đỏ của thần sa rất đặc trưng. (The red color of cinnabar is very distinctive.)
  • Người xưa dùng bột thần sa để làm son. (Ancient people used powdered cinnabar to make vermilion pigment.)
  • Thần sa có chứa thủy ngân nên rất độc. (Cinnabar contains mercury and is therefore very toxic.)

Advanced Usage

• In traditional contexts, "thần sa" may be referenced in phrases related to alchemical processes or ancient medicinal formulas, though its use is hazardous.

Variants and Related Words

• Chu sa: An alternative name for cinnabar/vermilion, often used interchangeably in some contexts.
  • Chu sa cũng là tên gọi khác của thần sa. (Chu sa is another name for cinnabar.)

Synonyms

• Cinnabar: The mineral form.
• Vermilion: The pigment derived from the mineral.
• Mercury sulfide: The chemical compound (HgS).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Thần sa cũng chẳng ăn: An idiom meaning something is so difficult or impossible that not even a mythical substance ("thần sa") can fix or affect it; similar to "an insurmountable problem."
  • Công việc đó khó, thần sa cũng chẳng ăn. (That task is so difficult, nothing can solve it.)