đồng cân

Một người bán hàng dùng đồng cân để cân một ít gạo.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A traditional unit of mass: "Đồng cân" is a historical Vietnamese unit of weight, equivalent to one-tenth of a "tael" (lạng). Its precise mass was approximately 3.75 grams.
   • A small, precise weight: By extension, it refers to a very small and specific measure of weight, often used in contexts like traditional medicine or gold trading.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông thầy thuốc cân đúng một đồng cân cam thảo. (The herbalist weighed exactly one đồng cân of licorice root.)
  • Vàng được đo lường chính xác đến từng đồng cân. (Gold is measured precisely to every đồng cân.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in historical or traditional contexts. In modern Vietnam, the metric system (grams, kilograms) is standard, making "đồng cân" largely obsolete in everyday commerce but still recognized in specific fields like Đông y (traditional Vietnamese medicine) or when discussing historical documents.

Variants and Related Words

• Lạng / Tael (n): A traditional unit of mass, equivalent to ten "đồng cân" or approximately 37.5 grams.
  • Một lạng vàng. (One tael of gold.)
• Chỉ (n): Another traditional unit of mass, smaller than a "lạng" but larger than a "đồng cân." One "lạng" equals 10 "chỉ."

Synonyms

• A tenth of a tael: A descriptive synonym defining its value.
• 3.75 grams: Its metric equivalent.

Related Idioms

• Cân đo đong đếm: To weigh and measure meticulously; to calculate carefully.
  • Công việc này đòi hỏi phải cân đo đong đếm như cân vàng từng đồng cân. (This job requires meticulous calculation, like weighing gold đồng cân by đồng cân.)