gai

Thân thiện

Cây gai có nhiều gai nhọn trên thân và cành.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • Thorn; Prickle; Spine: A sharp, pointed protective structure on a plant, such as on a rose or cactus stem.
   • Fiber Plant; Ramie: A plant (specifically, the ramie plant, Boehmeria nivea) whose stem yields a strong, durable, and lustrous natural fiber used for textiles.
   • Barb: A sharp projection, especially on wire.

2. Adjective:

   • Prickly; Thorny: Having thorns or a rough, irritating texture.
   • Difficult; Troublesome; Quarrelsome: (Colloquial) Describing a person who is easily offended, argumentative, or causes problems.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi bị gai hoa hồng đâm vào tay. (I got pricked by a rose thorn on my hand.)
  • Vải làm từ sợi gai rất bền. (Fabric made from ramie fiber is very durable.)
  • Hàng rào dây kẽm gai. (A barbed wire fence.)
• Adjective:
  • Bề mặt quả sầu riêng rất gai. (The surface of a durian is very prickly.)
  • Anh ta có tính cách khá gai, hay gây sự với mọi người. (He has a rather troublesome personality, often picking fights with people.)

Advanced Usage

• "gai mắt" (idiomatic): Literally "thorn to the eye," meaning something is unpleasant, offensive, or irritating to look at.
  • Cảnh hỗn độn ấy thật gai mắt. (That chaotic scene is really offensive to the eye.)
• "gai người" / "nổi gai ốc" (idiomatic): Literally "to have thorns on one's skin" or "to raise thorny goosebumps," meaning to have a shuddering sensation from fear, disgust, or extreme cold.
  • Nghe câu chuyện ma, tôi nổi gai ốc. (Listening to the ghost story gave me goosebumps.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gai góc (adj): Literally "thorny and angular," meaning complicated, tricky, or fraught with difficulties.
  • Vấn đề này rất gai góc. (This issue is very thorny.)
• Hột gai (n): Flaxseed or linseed (the seed of the flax plant, not ramie).

Synonyms

• Thorn: ngạnh, gai nhọn.
• Prickly: lởm chởm, có gai.
• Troublesome: khó chịu, hay gây rắc rối.

Related Idioms

• Ở hiền gặp lành, ở ác gặp gai: A proverb meaning "Do good and good will come to you, do evil and you will meet thorns" (similar to "You reap what you sow").
• Gai trong mắt: A thorn in one's eye, meaning a constant source of irritation or annoyance.

Học thuật

noun

1. (Bot) flax
   • hột gai
     flax-seed thorn; prickle
   • cành hồng đầy gai
     A rose sprig full of thorns bard; tread
   • dây kẽm gai
     barbed wire

verb

1. to offend; to shock
   • gai mắt
     to offend the eye