vằn
Definition
Adjective:
- Striped; streaked; having a pattern of lines or bands: Describes an object, animal, or surface marked with lines or bands of a different color or texture. This is the most common meaning.
- Veined; marbled: Can describe patterns that resemble veins, such as in wood, stone, or certain materials.
Verb (less common):
- To become streaked or marked with lines: The action of forming stripes or streaks.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Con hổ có bộ lông vằn đen và vàng. (The tiger has striped black and yellow fur.)
- Tôi thích chiếc áo len vằn đó. (I like that striped sweater.)
- Đá cẩm thạch thường có những đường vằn. (Marble often has veined patterns.)
Advanced Usage
- "vằn vện": Intensively or densely striped; covered in a complex network of lines or streaks. Often used to emphasize a high density of stripes or a intricate pattern.
- Lá cây bị khô, vằn vện những đường gân nổi rõ. (The leaf was dry, densely veined with prominent lines.)
Variants and Related Words
Sọc (n): A stripe, a line. While vằn is an adjective describing something as striped, sọc is the noun for the stripe itself.
- Chiếc áo có nhiều sọc đỏ và trắng. (The shirt has many red and white stripes.)
Vân (n): Grain (wood), vein (stone), pattern. Refers to the natural pattern itself, not the state of being striped.
- Vân gỗ này rất đẹp. (This wood grain is very beautiful.)
Synonyms
- Striped: Marked with bands or lines.
- Streaked: Marked with long, thin lines.
- Banded: Having bands of color.
- Brindled: (For animals) Gray or tawny with darker streaks or spots.
Related Idioms
- Vằn vèo: Meandering, winding, zigzagging. This idiom extends the concept of lines to describe a non-straight path or shape.
- Con đường nhỏ chạy vằn vèo qua cánh đồng. (The small path runs meandering/winding through the field.)