lai
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Of mixed origin; hybrid; crossbred: Describes a living being (human, animal, plant) resulting from the crossbreeding of two different breeds, varieties, races, or species.
- Mixed; influenced by foreign elements: Describes something (like language, culture, style) that is a crude or awkward blend of local and foreign elements.
Verb:
- To crossbreed; to hybridize: The act of breeding animals or plants of different varieties or species to create a hybrid.
- To give a ride (on a bicycle or motorbike): To transport someone as a passenger on the back of a bicycle or motorbike.
- To tow (a watercraft): For a vessel to pull or escort another vessel.
Noun:
- Hem; cuff; turn-up: The edge of a garment, such as the bottom of a pants leg or sleeve, that is folded and sewn.
- A unit of weight (historical): A traditional unit of mass equal to one-hundredth of a tael (approximately 0.375 grams).
- Bear (archaic/regional): An archaic or regional term for a bear.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Con chó này là chó lai. (This dog is a mixed-breed / crossbred dog.)
- Anh ấy là người lai Á-Âu. (He is a Eurasian person.)
- Kiến trúc lai giữa phong cách cổ điển và hiện đại. (Architecture that is a hybrid of classical and modern styles.)
Verb:
- Các nhà khoa học lai hai giống lúa để tạo giống mới. (Scientists crossbreed two rice varieties to create a new strain.)
- Bố tôi thường lai tôi đến trường bằng xe máy. (My father often gives me a ride to school on his motorbike.)
- Tàu kéo lai sà lan vào cảng. (The tugboat towed the barge into the port.)
Noun:
- Chiếc quần này có lai rộng. (These pants have wide cuffs / turn-ups.)
- Vàng nặng mười lai. (The gold weighs ten lai (approx. 3.75 grams).)
Advanced Usage
"lai giống" (verb phrase): To hybridize; to crossbreed specifically for creating new varieties.
- Lai giống là một kỹ thuật quan trọng trong nông nghiệp. (Hybridization is an important technique in agriculture.)
"lai căn" (noun/adjective): Refers to a person of mixed racial heritage, often with a specific focus (e.g., lai căn Pháp for a person of French-Vietnamese descent).
- Cô ấy là một nghệ sĩ lai căn Việt-Mỹ nổi tiếng. (She is a famous Vietnamese-American artist.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lai tạo (verb): To breed; to cultivate through selective breeding or hybridization. Often used in agriculture and animal husbandry.
- Lai lịch (noun): Background; origin; pedigree. (Note: This is a distinct word meaning "background," not directly related to "mixed" but shares the character).
- Pha trộn (verb): To mix; to blend. A more general synonym for mixing elements, not specifically for biological crossbreeding.
- Métis (noun, from French): A person of mixed race, commonly used in historical contexts.
Synonyms
- Adjective (for mixed origin): Hỗn hợp (mixed), pha tạp (mixed, often with a negative connotation of being crude), nửa nạc nửa mỡ (idiomatic: literally "half lean, half fat," meaning mixed or ambiguous).
- Verb (for crossbreeding): Ghép giống (to graft or crossbreed plants), tạp giao (to crossbreed animals).
- Verb (for giving a ride): Chở (to transport/carry), đèo (to give a ride on a two-wheeler).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations)
- Lai rai (verb): To drink alcohol slowly while chatting; to sip leisurely. (Note: This is a completely different word/phrase homophone, not related to the meanings of "lai" above).
- Lai vãng (verb): To frequent; to come and go to a place often.
Related Idioms
- "Máu lai": Literally "mixed blood," used to describe someone of mixed racial heritage.
- Cô ấy có nét đẹp của người máu lai. (She has the beauty of a mixed-race person.)
- "Tiếng lai": Refers to language that is heavily and awkwardly influenced by foreign languages, often seen as corrupted.
- Bài viết này dùng nhiều tiếng lai, khó hiểu. (This article uses a lot of mixed/foreign-influenced language, it's hard to understand.)
noun
- varmishtree; candleberry. hemline; turn up
adj
- of mixed blood; cross-bred
- bò laia cross-bred cow