Definition

1. Noun:
   • Enigma / Riddle: A statement, question, or phrase that has a hidden or double meaning, designed to be puzzling and require clever thought to solve or interpret.
   • Hidden meaning / Veiled language: Language that is deliberately obscure or cryptic, conveying a message that is not immediately apparent on the surface.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Câu nói của ông ấy là một ẩn ngữ khó hiểu. (His statement was a difficult enigma to understand.)
  • Truyện ngụ ngôn thường chứa đựng những ẩn ngữ về cuộc sống. (Fables often contain hidden meanings about life.)
  • Nhà tiên tri đưa ra lời sấm dưới dạng một ẩn ngữ. (The prophet delivered the oracle in the form of a riddle.)

Advanced Usage

• Literary and rhetorical device: "Ẩn ngữ" is often used as a stylistic device in literature, poetry, and oracles to add depth, mystery, or to convey sensitive ideas indirectly.
  • Nhà thơ sử dụng ẩn ngữ để tránh sự kiểm duyệt. (The poet used veiled language to avoid censorship.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lời nói bóng gió (n): An indirect or allusive remark; hinting language.

  • Cô ấy chỉ nói bóng gió chứ không nói thẳng. (She only spoke in hints, not directly.)

• Câu đố (n): A puzzle or riddle, often for entertainment.

  • Đứa trẻ thích giải những câu đố. (The child likes to solve puzzles.)

Synonyms

• Enigma: Something hard to understand or explain.
• Riddle: A puzzling question or statement.
• Cryptic message: A message with a hidden meaning.

Related Idioms

• Nói bóng nói gió: To speak indirectly, to beat around the bush.

  • Đừng nói bóng nói gió nữa, hãy nói thẳng ra đi. (Stop beating around the bush; say it directly.)

• Giấu đầu hở đuôi: To hide incompletely, leaving clues (lit. to hide the head but show the tail).

  • Lời thú tội của hắn như giấu đầu hở đuôi, đầy ẩn ngữ. (His confession was like hiding incompletely, full of enigmas.)