phi
/fai/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- (Of a horse) to gallop: To run very fast, at the highest speed.
- To move or go very quickly: To travel at high speed, often used for vehicles or people.
- To throw a pointed weapon: To hurl a weapon like a knife or dagger with force.
- (In cooking) to sauté aromatics: To fry ingredients like garlic or shallots in oil until fragrant and golden, a common first step in Vietnamese cooking.
Noun:
- (Historical) A royal concubine or a prince's wife: A secondary wife of a king or a wife of a prince in the feudal system.
- (Geography) Africa: A less common, abbreviated form.
Particle/Conjunction:
- If not... then; Were it not for...: Used to introduce an exception or to emphasize that a particular person or thing is the only possible agent or cause. Often used in the structure "Phi X thì...".
Usage Examples
- Verb (to gallop):
- Con ngựa phi nhanh trên cánh đồng. (The horse galloped fast across the field.)
- Verb (to go quickly):
- Chiếc xe máy phi vút qua. (The motorbike sped past.)
- Verb (to throw):
- Hắn phi một nhát dao về phía đối thủ. (He threw a knife toward his opponent.)
- Verb (cooking):
- Đầu tiên, bạn phi thơm hành khô. (First, you sauté the shallots until fragrant.)
- Noun (royal concubine):
- Các bà phi sống trong cung cấm. (The royal concubines lived in the inner palace.)
- Particle:
- Phi nó thì còn ai làm chuyện đó? (If it wasn't him, then who else would do it?)
Advanced Usage
- "Phi nước đại": To gallop at full speed (for a horse); to go at top speed.
- Con ngựa phi nước đại về phía chuồng. (The horse galloped at full speed toward the stable.)
- "Phi như bay": To move/swift like flying, extremely fast.
- Chiếc xe phi như bay trên đường cao tốc. (The car sped like flying on the highway.)
Variants and Related Words
- Phi cơ (n): Airplane (compound word: "flying machine").
- Phi công (n): Pilot (compound word: "flight worker").
- Phi hành gia (n): Astronaut (compound word: "space traveler").
- Phi pháp (adj): Illegal, against the law (compound word: "outside the law").
- Phi thường (adj): Extraordinary, exceptional (compound word: "outside the ordinary").
Synonyms
- Phóng (v): To dash, to speed (for movement).
- Ném (v): To throw (for weapons).
- Rán vàng (v): To fry until golden (in cooking).
- Vợ lẽ (n): Concubine (for the noun form).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Phi đi: To speed away.
- Chiếc ô tô phi đi mất hút. (The car sped away out of sight.)
- Phi thẳng: To go straight at high speed.
- Anh ấy phi thẳng về nhà. (He went straight home at high speed.)
Related Idioms
- "Phi thương phi nghề": Neither business nor trade; not having a proper profession or skill.
- Hắn ta phi thương phi nghề, suốt ngày lang thang. (He has no proper trade, wandering around all day.)
- "Phi cao bổ rộng": (Of a bird) to fly high and swoop wide; to have grand ambitions or to operate on a large scale.
- Công ty mới có chiến lược phi cao bổ rộng. (The new company has a strategy of aiming high and expanding wide.)
noun
- (Geog) Africa