Definition

1. Noun:
   • Ladder / Stepladder: A device used for climbing up or down, typically consisting of two long side pieces (called strings or rails) connected at regular intervals by shorter crosspieces (called rungs or steps).
   • Scale / Range / Gamut: An ordered series or system of degrees, values, or levels used for measurement or classification.
   • Pack of Medicinal Herbs: In traditional medicine, a pre-measured pack containing a mixture of herbs sufficient for one brewing or decoction.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Ladder):
  • Anh ấy dựng thang vào tường. (He leaned the ladder against the wall.)
  • Cô ấy trèo lên thang để hái quả. (She climbed the ladder to pick fruit.)
• Noun (Scale/Range):
  • Thang nhiệt độ Celsius được sử dụng rộng rãi.* (The Celsius temperature scale is widely used.)
  • Công ty có một thang lương rõ ràng. (The company has a clear salary scale.)
• Noun (Medicinal Herbs):
  • Ông ấy cần sắc ba thang thuốc. (He needs to brew three packs of herbal medicine.)

Advanced Usage

• "Thang máy": Literally "machine ladder," this is the common term for elevator or lift.
  • Chúng tôi đi lên tầng 10 bằng thang máy. (We go to the 10th floor by elevator.)
• "Thang bộ": Literally "foot ladder," this refers to a staircase or stairs.
  • Tập thể dục bằng cách leo thang bộ. (Exercise by climbing the stairs.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cái thang (n): The common classifier phrase for a physical ladder.
• Thang đo (n): A measurement scale (e.g., thang đo Likert - Likert scale).
• Bắc thang (v): To place or set up a ladder.

Synonyms

• Ladder / Stepladder: steps.
• Scale / Range: spectrum, hierarchy, gradation.
• Pack of herbs: dose (of herbal medicine), bundle.

Related Idioms

• Thang danh vọng: The ladder of success/social ladder. Refers to the hierarchy of status or career advancement.
  • Anh ấy đang cố gắng leo lên thang danh vọng. (He is trying to climb the social ladder.)
• Ăn như thang: To eat like a ladder (a humorous, somewhat old-fashioned idiom). It means to eat a very large amount, comparing the eater's throat to an open ladder where food disappears quickly.
  • Cậu bé ăn như thang! (That boy eats like a horse!)

noun

1. ladder stepladder scale, range, gamut pack of medicinal herbs