Definition

Verb: 1. To shell, to husk, to detach (grains or segments): To separate individual grains (like corn, rice) from a cob or ear, or to separate segments (like citrus fruit) from the whole. 2. To split, to separate (a mass or group): To cause a mass or group to separate into parts or to disperse. 3. (Dialectal) To turn off, to branch off (onto a different path): To take a different route, to diverge from a main path.

Usage Examples

• (She is shelling corn.)
• (The workers separate the rice grains from the rice panicles.)
• (He split the cassava root in two.)
• (The police dispersed the gathering crowd.)
• (At the crossroads, he turned off onto a small road.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tẽ ra": Often used to emphasize the action of separating or shelling.
  • Họ ngồi tẽ ra từng hạt đậu phộng. (They sat shelling each peanut one by one.)
• The action is typically manual and involves using fingers or simple tools to detach small, attached items from a core or cluster.

Variants and Related Words

• Tẽ tách (verb): To separate into many small pieces, to pick apart. (Emphasizes the meticulous or complete separation.)
• Tẽ hạt (verb phrase): To shell seeds/grains. (A more specific phrase.)
• Rẽ (verb): The standard, non-dialectal word for (e.g., rẽ trái - turn left) or . "Tẽ" in the third meaning is a dialectal variant of "rẽ".

Synonyms

• Tách ra (verb): To separate, to detach. (General term.)
• Bóc vỏ (verb phrase): To peel, to shell. (Often used for nuts, eggs; focuses on removing an outer layer.)
• Tuốt (verb): To strip off (e.g., grains from a stalk). (Similar action but can imply a quicker, less meticulous method.)
• Làm rời ra (verb phrase): To make something come apart.

Notes on Different Meanings

1. The primary and most common meaning is related to agriculture and food preparation: to shell or husk.
2. The second meaning (to split/disperse) is an extension of the core action of separation, applied to objects or groups.
3. The third meaning (to turn off) is dialectal. In standard Vietnamese, "rẽ" is used for this concept.

verb

1. to shell