thia lia
Definition
Noun:
- A skipping stone game: A traditional children's game where a flat piece of pottery, tile, or stone is thrown sideways across the surface of water to make it skip or bounce multiple times.
- The act of skipping a stone: The action or technique of making a flat object bounce on water.
Adjective/Adverb (in the phrase "ném thia lia"):
- Skipping, ricocheting: Describing the manner of throwing an object so it skims and bounces across a water surface.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Bọn trẻ chơi thia lia ở bờ sông. (The children are playing the stone-skipping game at the riverbank.)
- Nó tìm một mảnh sành phẳng để chơi thia lia. (He is looking for a flat piece of pottery to use for stone skipping.)
Adjective/Adverb:
- Cậu bé ném viên đá thia lia trên mặt hồ. (The boy threw the stone skipping across the lake surface.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in the context of the specific game or action. It can function descriptively within a verb phrase.
Variants and Related Words
- Cá thia lia (n): A specific type of small, quick fish, likely named for its darting, skipping movement in water.
- Trong bể có vài con cá thia lia. (There are a few thia lia fish in the tank.)
Synonyms
- Stone skipping: The game or action.
- Ricochet (on water): The bouncing motion.
- Duck and drake (British English, archaic): A term for the same game.
Related Idioms
- While not a standalone idiom, the phrase "ném thia lia" is the standard collocation meaning "to skip stones."