Definition

1. Verb:
   • To castrate: To surgically remove the testicles of a male animal or the ovaries of a female animal, typically to control reproduction, modify behavior, or improve meat quality.
   • To trim / To prune: To cut away unwanted or unnecessary parts from a plant, such as branches or buds, to control growth or improve shape.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to castrate):
  • Người nông dân thiến lợn để chúng dễ nuôi hơn. (The farmer castrates the pigs so they are easier to raise.)
  • Mèo đực nên được thiến để ngăn ngừa một số vấn đề sức khỏe. (Male cats should be castrated to prevent certain health issues.)
• Verb (to trim/prune):
  • Anh ấy đang thiến những cành chết trên cây cam. (He is pruning the dead branches from the orange tree.)
  • Thiến bớt chồi non sẽ giúp cây tập trung dinh dưỡng. (Trimming some of the young buds will help the tree concentrate its nutrients.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "thiến" is used almost exclusively for animals and plants. When referring to humans in a medical or historical context (e.g., eunuchs), the term "hoạn" or descriptive phrases are more common.
• In a figurative, vulgar context, "thiến" can be used as a strong insult implying emasculation or complete defeat.

Variants and Related Words

• Hoạn (v): A more formal or historical term for castrating a human male.
  • Các thái giám trong cung đình xưa đều đã bị hoạn. (The eunuchs in the ancient royal court were all castrated.)
• Triệt sản (v): To sterilize (animals or humans), which is a different procedure focused on preventing reproduction without necessarily removing glands.
• Tỉa cành (v): A more common and general synonym for pruning plants.

Synonyms

• Castrate: Neuter, geld (specifically for male horses), spay (specifically for female animals).
• Trim / Prune: Cut back, clip, lop.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Tưng hửng như chó thiến đuôi: To be bewildered, disoriented, or at a loss, like a dog whose tail has been cut off. This idiom uses the "trimming" sense of "thiến" to describe a state of confusion.
  • Nghe tin đó, nó đứng tưng hửng như chó thiến đuôi. (Upon hearing that news, he stood bewildered like a dog with its tail cut off.)

verb

1. to castrate to trim, to prune away