tương

Mẹ rưới tương vào đĩa rau luộc.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • Sauce: A savory, often fermented condiment, typically made from soybeans, rice, or corn, used for dipping or as a seasoning in Vietnamese cuisine. It is analogous to soy sauce or bean paste.
   • Paste: A thick, fermented preparation made from beans and grains.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To stuff in / to cram in: To put or add something into a place haphazardly, carelessly, or in excess.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Bánh đúc thường được ăn kèm với tương. (Rice cake is often eaten with fermented soybean sauce.)
  • Mẹ tôi làm tương rất ngon. (My mother makes very delicious bean paste.)

• Verb:

  • Nó tương đủ thứ vào ba lô. (He stuffed all sorts of things into his backpack.)
  • Đừng tương quá nhiều gia vị. (Don't cram in too much seasoning.)

Advanced Usage

• The noun "tương" is often part of compound words specifying the type of sauce or paste.
  • "tương ớt": chili sauce.

    • Tôi thích ăn phở với tương ớt. (I like to eat pho with chili sauce.)
  • "tương cà": ketchup (tomato sauce).

    • Khoai tây chiên chấm tương cà. (French fries dipped in ketchup.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tương bần (n): A specific type of fermented soybean paste from Bần Yên Nhân village.
• Tương đậu nành (n): Soybean paste.
• Tương ớt (n): Chili sauce, sriracha.
• Tương cà (n): Ketchup, tomato sauce.

Synonyms

• Noun: Sauce, paste, condiment, dip.
• Verb: To cram, to stuff, to shove, to throw in.

Related Idioms

• Biết gì tương cả vào: To put in everything one knows (often used in the context of writing or answering without discrimination).
  • Nó không đọc đề kỹ, biết gì tương cả vào bài thi. (He didn't read the prompt carefully and crammed everything he knew into the exam paper.)