Cừu họ Ngũ

Definition
  1. Proper Noun:
    • The Grudge of the Wu Family: A classical Chinese idiom referring to a deep, enduring, and often vengeful hatred passed down through generations, originating from the historical story of Wu Zixu.
    • A vendetta: It signifies a prolonged feud or bitter enmity rooted in a past wrong, typically demanding revenge.
Usage Examples
  • Proper Noun:
    • Mối thù giữa hai gia tộc đó chẳng khác nào cừu họ Ngũ. (The feud between those two clans is no different from the Grudge of the Wu Family.)
    • Hắn nuôi mối thù cừu họ Ngũ suốt mười năm. (He harbored a Wu Family-style grudge for ten years.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term is used metaphorically to describe any long-standing, obsessive hatred that consumes an individual or group, often leading to a quest for vengeance that defines their actions.
    • Câu chuyện này là một bi kịch cừu họ Ngũ hiện đại. (This story is a modern tragedy of a Wu Family vendetta.)
Cultural and Historical Context
  • The idiom originates from the story of Wu Zixu (Ngũ Tử Tư), a nobleman of the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history. His father and brother were wrongly executed by the King of Chu. Wu Zixu fled, endured great hardship, and eventually led the army of a rival state to defeat Chu and desecrate the king's tomb, thus fulfilling his filial duty for revenge. This story epitomizes the concept of an all-consuming, generational vendetta.
Synonyms
  • Vendetta: A prolonged bitter quarrel with a campaign of revenge.
  • Feud: A prolonged and bitter strife or dispute.
  • Grudge: A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury.
Related Idioms and Concepts
  • Mối thù truyền kiếp: A generational hatred or feud.
    • Hai nhà ấy có mối thù truyền kiếp với nhau. (Those two families have a generational feud with each other.)
  • Thù cha chưa trả, thù con chưa tha: An idiom meaning the sins of the father are visited upon the son; the feud is inherited.