Definition

1. Noun:

   • Wallet; Purse: A small, flat case, typically made of leather or fabric, used for carrying money, cards, and other small personal items.
   • (Folk Culture) Ví: A traditional form of alternating, improvised folk singing, often performed as a call-and-response dialogue between young men and women in rural settings.

2. Verb:

   • To compare; to liken: To describe or represent something as being similar to something else, often for the purpose of illustration or explanation.

3. Conjunction (Literary, rare):

   • If; supposing that: Used to introduce a hypothetical condition or situation, primarily found in classical poetry and literature.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Wallet):

  • Anh ấy lấy thẻ tín dụng ra từ ví. (He took the credit card out of his wallet.)
  • Chiếc ví của cô ấy đựng rất nhiều ảnh. (Her purse holds a lot of photos.)

• Verb (To compare):

  • Có thể ví tình yêu như một bông hoa đẹp. (One can compare love to a beautiful flower.)
  • Ông ấy thường ví công việc kinh doanh với một cuộc chiến. (He often likens business to a battle.)

• Conjunction (If):

  • "Ví thử có ngày anh quay lại..." (If one day you were to return...*)

Advanced Usage

• "ví von": To speak metaphorically or figuratively; to use similes.
  • Nhà thơ thích ví von cô gái với ánh trăng. (The poet likes to metaphorically describe the girl as the moonlight.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ví da (n): Leather wallet.
• Ví cầm tay (n): Clutch purse.
• So ví (v): To compare side-by-side (emphasizing a direct comparison).

Synonyms

• Noun: Wallet, purse, billfold.
• Verb: Compare, liken, equate, analogize.
• Conjunction: If, supposing, provided that.

Related Idioms

• Ví như: For example; for instance; such as. (Used to introduce an example).
  • Có nhiều loại trái cây, ví như xoài, ổi, và mít. (There are many kinds of fruit, for example, mango, guava, and jackfruit.)

noun

1. wallet,purse

verb

1. to compare