Definition

Noun: - A balance beam; a weigh-beam: A long, typically wooden rod, often cylindrical in shape, with a hook at one or both ends and marked with measurement units along its body. It is used with a scale pan (đĩa cân) and a counterweight (quả cân) to measure the weight of objects by balancing. This is a traditional weighing tool.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người bán hàng dùng đòn cân để cân rau. (The vendor uses a balance beam to weigh vegetables.)
  • Đòn cân này được chia thành nhiều phân nhỏ. (This weigh-beam is marked into many small units.)
  • Chiếc đòn cân cũ kỹ vẫn còn chính xác. (The old balance beam is still accurate.)

Advanced Usage

• "cân đòn cân": To weigh using a traditional balance beam.
  • Ngày xưa, người ta thường cân đòn cân ở chợ. (In the past, people often weighed goods with a balance beam at the market.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cân (n/v): Scale; to weigh. This is the general term. A "đòn cân" is a component of a traditional "cân" (scale).
• Cân đĩa (n): A scale with pans; a balance scale. This term often implies the complete set including the beam ("đòn cân"), pans, and counterweights.
• Quả cân (n): A counterweight; a standard weight used with a balance beam.

Synonyms

• Cân thăng bằng: Balance scale (a more descriptive term for the complete apparatus).
• Cân truyền thống: Traditional scale.

Related Phrases

• Thẳng như đòn cân: (Idiom) As straight as a balance beam; meaning very honest, upright, and impartial.
  • Ông ấy là một thẩm phán thẳng như đòn cân. (He is a judge who is as straight as an arrow / perfectly impartial.)
• Cân não: (Idiom, literally "to weigh the brain") To ponder deeply, to weigh options carefully. While not directly containing "đòn cân," it uses the concept of "cân" (weighing) metaphorically.
  • Tôi phải cân não rất lâu trước khi đưa ra quyết định. (I had to think very hard / weigh my options for a long time before making a decision.)

noun

1. balance-beam; weigh-beam