thếp
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- Quire: A unit for counting a specific, often small, quantity of unused paper sheets, such as student writing paper or votive paper.
- Oil lamp dish: A small, shallow dish, typically made of clay or ceramic, designed to hold oil or fat with a wick, used as a lamp in traditional times.
Verb:
- To gild: To apply a very thin layer of gold or silver leaf onto a surface (like wood or stone) using an adhesive, for decorative purposes.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Tôi mua một thếp giấy học sinh. (I bought a quire of student paper.)
- Ngọn đèn dầu cổ cháy nhờ một thếp bằng đất nung. (The ancient oil lamp burns using an earthenware dish.)
Verb:
- Người thợ thếp vàng lên những hoa văn trên cột. (The artisan gilds gold onto the patterns on the pillar.)
Advanced Usage
- The noun "thếp" is a classifier, similar to "ream" but for a much smaller, fixed bundle (traditionally around 20 sheets for paper).
- As a verb, "thếp" implies a specific craft technique, distinct from electroplating or painting, involving the manual application of metal leaf.
Variants and Related Words
Thếp vàng (v): to gild with gold.
- Bức tượng được thếp vàng để tăng vẻ lộng lẫy. (The statue was gilded with gold to enhance its splendor.)
Thếp bạc (v): to silver, to apply a thin layer of silver.
- Họ thếp bạc lên các chi tiết trang trí. (They silvered the decorative details.)
Synonyms
- Noun: Bundle, packet (for paper); dish, saucer (for lamp part).
- Verb: To overlay with gold/silver, to apply leaf.
Related Idioms
- Sơn son thếp vàng: Literally "to lacquer in red and gild in gold," meaning to decorate lavishly or to embellish something to make it appear splendid and valuable.
- Cổng đình được sơn son thếp vàng. (The communal house gate is lavishly decorated with red lacquer and gold leaf.)
verb
- to gild