toẽ
Definition
- Verb:
- To splay, to spread out, to fan out: Describes something, often flexible or consisting of multiple parts, separating or extending outward in different directions from a central point. It implies a loss of neat, tight grouping.
- To bifurcate, to fork: Specifically refers to something splitting into two separate branches or parts, like a road or a bird's tail.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đuôi chim công toẽ ra như một chiếc quạt rực rỡ. (The peacock's tail fans out like a brilliant fan.)
- Con đường toẽ ra làm hai hướng ở cuối làng. (The road forks into two directions at the end of the village.)
- Cô bé để tóc ướt toẽ ra trên gối. (The little girl let her wet hair splay out on the pillow.)
Advanced Usage
"toẽ càng": to splay one's legs; to sit or stand with legs spread apart.
- Cậu bé ngồi toẽ càng trên sàn nhà. (The boy sat with his legs splayed on the floor.)
"toẽ hoa": (of flowers) to bloom/open fully, with petals spreading out.
- Hoa sen toẽ hoa dưới ánh mặt trời buổi sáng. (The lotus flower blooms fully under the morning sun.)
Variants and Related Words
Tõe (v): A common variant spelling with the same meaning as "toẽ."
- Bánh xe tõe bùn ra hai bên đường. (The wheel splashed mud out to both sides of the road.)
Toe toét (adj): Describes a wide, often messy or grinning, open mouth.
- Đứa trẻ cười toe toét. (The child grinned from ear to ear.)
Synonyms
- Splay: To spread things out wide.
- Fan out: To spread apart like a fan.
- Bifurcate: To divide into two branches.
- Diverge: To extend in different directions from a point.
Related Idioms
Đầu tóc toẽ ra: (Hair is) disheveled, messy, and spread out.
- Thức dậy muộn, đầu tóc chị ấy toẽ ra hết cả. (Waking up late, her hair was all disheveled.)
Toẽ lông ra: (For birds) to ruffle or puff out its feathers.
- Con gà trống toẽ lông ra để đe dọa đối thủ. (The rooster puffed out its feathers to threaten its rival.)