Definition

1. Verb:

   • To mend; to patch: The primary meaning of "vá" is to repair a hole, tear, or worn spot in fabric, leather, or similar material by sewing a piece over it or stitching it together.
   • To repair; to fix: It extends to repairing holes or leaks in objects like tires, tubes, or roads by sealing the opening with a patch or filler material.
   • To darn: Specifically for repairing holes in knitted items like socks by weaving thread across the gap.

2. Noun:

   • Shovel; ladle; scoop: A tool with a shallow, slightly curved bowl and a handle, used for lifting and moving loose materials like soil, coal, or food.

3. Adjective:

   • Piebald; spotted; patchy: Describing an animal, typically a horse or dog, that has a fur coat with irregular patches of two or more colors, often black and white.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mẹ tôi vá chiếc quần jean bị rách. (My mother mended the torn jeans.)
  • Anh thợ vá săm xe đạp rất nhanh. (The repairman patched the bicycle inner tube very quickly.)
  • Công nhân đang vá ổ gà trên đường. (Workers are repairing potholes on the road.)
• Noun:
  • Cô ấy dùng cái vá để múc canh. (She used the ladle to serve soup.)
  • Người nông dân xúc phân bằng cái vá. (The farmer scooped manure with a shovel.)
• Adjective:
  • Con ngựa vá ấy rất đẹp. (That piebald horse is very beautiful.)

Advanced Usage

• "vá víu": To patch up hastily or temporarily; to make do with makeshift repairs.
  • Căn nhà chỉ được vá víu qua loa. (The house was only patched up crudely.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thợ vá (n): A repairman, especially for tires or shoes.
  • Tôi mang đôi giày đến tiệm thợ vá. (I took my shoes to the cobbler's shop.)
• Miếng vá (n): A patch (the piece of material used for mending).
  • Chiếc áo khoác có một miếng vá ở khuỷu tay. (The jacket has a patch on the elbow.)

Synonyms

• Verb: Mend, patch, repair, darn, fix.
• Noun: Ladle, scoop, shovel.
• Adjective: Piebald, spotted, dappled.

Related Idioms

• Giật gấu vá vai: Literally "to tear the hem to patch the shoulder." It means to take from one thing to fix another, often making a situation worse; to rob Peter to pay Paul.
  • Việc vay nợ mới để trả nợ cũ chỉ là giật gấu vá vai. (Borrowing new debt to pay old debt is just robbing Peter to pay Paul.)
• Vá trời lấp biển: Literally "to patch the sky and fill the sea." It describes an immensely difficult or seemingly impossible task, a herculean effort.
  • Công việc đó khó như vá trời lấp biển. (That task is as difficult as patching the sky and filling the sea.)

noun

1. shovel, ladle

verb

1. to mend;