Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of bamboo: A specific genus (Phyllostachys) of bamboo plant, characterized by a small, thick-walled, often golden-yellow culm (stem), commonly used to make pipes and handicrafts.
   • A musical instrument: Refers to wind instruments, particularly flutes, traditionally made from bamboo.

2. Verb (archaic/literary):

   • To topple; to collapse; to be overthrown: Describes something falling down or, in a political context, a cabinet or government being brought down.

Usage Examples

• Noun (plant):
  • Hàng trúc trước sân đung đưa trong gió. (The row of bamboo in front of the yard sways in the wind.)
  • Ống điếu được làm từ thân cây trúc. (The pipe is made from the stem of bamboo.)
• Noun (instrument):
  • Tiếng trúc tiếng tơ hòa quyện. (The sound of the flute and the string instruments blend together.)
• Verb:
  • Nội các đã trúc. (The cabinet has fallen.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tiếng tơ tiếng trúc": An idiom meaning "the sound of silk and bamboo," referring collectively to traditional string and wind instruments, symbolizing elegant music.
  • Buổi biểu diễn đầy tiếng tơ tiếng trúc. (The performance was filled with the sound of traditional instruments.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trúc đào (n): Oleander (a flowering plant, not a bamboo).
• Trúc xanh (n): A specific variety of bamboo.

Synonyms

• Bamboo: For the plant.
• Flute: For the instrument.
• Fall / Topple / Collapse: For the verb form.

Related Idioms

• "Trúc dù mưa dập, tre dù gió lay": An idiom praising resilience, meaning "Bamboo may be beaten by rain, but it stands firm against the wind," similar to "bend but don't break."
  • Tinh thần của dân tộc ấy như "trúc dù mưa dập, tre dù gió lay". (The spirit of that nation is like "bamboo that withstands the storm".)