đứng cái
Definition
- Verb phrase (agriculture, specific to rice cultivation):
- To stand erect (of rice plants): Describes the specific growth stage of rice plants where the leaves become upright and the plant prepares to form panicles (flowering heads). It indicates a transition from vegetative to reproductive growth.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Lúa đã bắt đầu đứng cái. (The rice has started to stand erect [entering the reproductive stage].)
- Giai đoạn đứng cái rất quan trọng đối với sự phát triển của cây lúa. (The "đứng cái" stage is very important for the development of the rice plant.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is highly specialized and almost exclusively used in the context of traditional wet-rice agriculture. It describes a precise phenological stage critical for timing water management and fertilizer application.
Variants and Related Words
- Làm đòng: (v) to boot, to form the panicle. This is the subsequent stage after "đứng cái" where the panicle actually develops inside the stem.
- Sau khi đứng cái, lúa bước vào giai đoạn làm đòng. (After standing erect, the rice enters the booting stage.)
Synonyms
- To erect (of rice plants): A direct, descriptive synonym in agricultural context.
- To stool (in broader agronomy): While related, "to stool" refers more to the tillering (sprouting of shoots) phase, which precedes the "đứng cái" stage.
Notes on Usage
- "Đứng cái" is a technical agricultural term. It is not used in everyday conversation outside of farming contexts. There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs derived from this specific phrase.