Definition

1. Pronoun:

   • I, me: The most common meaning of "tôi" is the first-person singular pronoun, used by an individual to refer to themselves in a neutral or formal context.
   • My: When used possessively before a noun, "tôi" indicates ownership or relation, meaning "my."

2. Noun (archaic):

   • Servant / domestic worker: In historical contexts, "tôi" refers to a person who works in service to a master or household.
   • Subject: Refers to a person who owes allegiance to a monarch, a subject of a king.

3. Verb:

   • To temper (metal): To heat and then cool (metal or glass) rapidly to increase hardness and strength.
   • To slake (lime): To mix quicklime with water to produce hydrated lime.

Usage Examples

• Pronoun:

  • Tôi là giáo viên. (I am a teacher.)
  • Đây là sách của tôi. (This is my book.)
  • Anh ấy hỏi tôi. (He asked me.)

• Noun (archaic):

  • Làm tôi trong một gia đình quý tộc. (To work as a servant in a noble family.)
  • Vua quan và bầy tôi. (The king, officials, and his subjects.)

• Verb:

  • Người thợ rèn đang tôi lưỡi dao. (The blacksmith is tempering the knife blade.)
  • Cần tôi vôi trước khi xây. (We need to slake the lime before building.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cái tôi" (Philosophical/Psychological term): The ego, the self.
  • Anh ấy có cái tôi rất lớn. (He has a very big ego.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tôi tớ (n): Servant, subordinate.

  • Họ trung thành như những tôi tớ. (They are loyal like servants.)

• Bầy tôi (n): Subjects (of a ruler), followers.

  • Bầy tôi của nhà vua. (The king's subjects.)

Synonyms

• Pronoun: I, me, my.
• Noun (servant): servant, domestic, attendant.
• Noun (subject): subject, vassal.
• Verb (temper): to harden, to strengthen.
• Verb (slake): to hydrate, to extinguish (lime).

Related Idioms

• Làm tôi mọi: To serve slavishly.

  • Ông ấy không muốn làm tôi mọi cho ai. (He does not want to be a slave to anyone.)

• Phận làm tôi: The lot/duty of a subject or servant.

  • Ông ta hiểu rõ phận làm tôi. (He understands the duty of a subject well.)

noun

1. subject servant self

verb

1. I, me to temper, to slake