Cốt nhục tử sinh
Definition
- Idiom (Thành ngữ):
- To restore flesh to bones and bring the dead back to life: Describes an act of saving someone from a desperate, near-fatal situation, or reviving something that was considered lost or ruined. It signifies a profound, life-saving grace or a monumental favor that rescues from the brink of death or disaster.
- Figurative meaning: To provide salvation or deliverance in a time of extreme crisis; an act of rescue so great it is as if it gave new life.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Ân ấy thật là cốt nhục tử sinh, tôi không bao giờ dám quên. (That favor truly restored flesh to my bones and brought me back from the dead; I will never dare forget it.)
- Nhờ sự giúp đỡ kịp thời của ngân hàng, công ty đã thoát khỏi phá sản. Đó là một ơn cốt nhục tử sinh. (Thanks to the bank's timely help, the company escaped bankruptcy. It was a life-saving grace.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is used in formal, literary, or deeply emotional contexts to emphasize the magnitude of a debt of gratitude. It is often employed when expressing profound thanks for being saved from a calamity.
Variants and Related Words
- Ân tái tạo (n): A grace of rebirth/remaking; a similarly weighty term for a life-saving favor.
- Cứu vớt (v): To rescue, to salvage. A more common verb for saving someone.
- Hồi sinh (v): To revive, to resurrect. Focuses on the act of bringing back to life or vitality.
Synonyms
- A life-saving grace: A favor that saves a life.
- Salvation: Deliverance from harm or ruin.
- A monumental rescue: An act of saving someone from a desperate situation.
Related Idioms
- Ơn cứu mạng: A life-saving favor (less literary and intense than "cốt nhục tử sinh").
- Kết cỏ ngậm vành: (To repay a debt of gratitude even after death) This idiom from the same literary source () is often mentioned in conjunction with "cốt nhục tử sinh" to express a promise of eternal repayment.
- Dám nhờ cốt nhục tử sinh, Còn nhiều kết cỏ ngậm vành về sau! (I dare to rely on your life-saving grace; I will repay it, even by holding a ring in my mouth from beyond the grave!)