thâu
Definition
Verb:
- To collect / to gather: To bring things together into one place, often referring to money, taxes, or resources.
- To take in / to absorb: To receive or incorporate something, such as information or light.
Noun (archaic/poetic):
- Autumn / Fall: The third season of the year, following summer and preceding winter. This is a phonetic variant of "thu."
- Year (archaic/poetic): Used in classical poetry to signify a year or a period of time.
Adverb:
- Throughout / the whole (of a period): From the beginning to the end of a specified duration of time.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Chính phủ thâu thuế. (The government collects taxes.)
- Vật liệu này thâu ánh sáng rất tốt. (This material absorbs light very well.)
Noun:
- Trời thâu mát mẻ. (The autumn weather is cool.)
- Đã ba thâu chẳng thấy tin. (Three years have passed without news.)
Adverb:
- Cô ấy thức thâu đêm để học. (She stayed awake throughout the night to study.)
Advanced Usage
"thâu tóm": to monopolize, to bring under one's control.
- Công ty đó thâu tóm thị trường. (That company monopolizes the market.)
"thâu nhập": to incorporate, to merge in.
- Họ thâu nhập nhiều ý kiến vào báo cáo. (They incorporated many opinions into the report.)
Variants and Related Words
Thu (n): The standard modern word for "autumn."
- Mùa thu Hà Nội rất đẹp. (Hanoi's autumn is very beautiful.)
Thu (v): The standard modern verb for "to collect."
- Thu tiền điện. (To collect electricity payments.)
Synonyms
- Collect: to gather items together.
- Absorb: to take in or soak up.
- Autumn: the season.
- Throughout: all through a period of time.
Related Idioms
Thâu đêm suốt sáng: all night and into the morning; to work or stay awake continuously.
- Anh ấy làm việc thâu đêm suốt sáng. (He worked all night and into the morning.)
Thâu tóm địa bàn: to take control of an area or territory.
- Băng nhóm đó muốn thâu tóm địa bàn. (That gang wants to take control of the territory.)