Khí thôn Ngưu đẩu

Definition

1. Idiom (Thành ngữ):
   • The spirit/ambition to "swallow an ox": A classical literary idiom describing a person, especially a young child, who possesses extraordinary spirit, vigor, or towering ambition that seems to surpass their physical size or age. It metaphorically indicates immense potential and boldness from a very young age.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Đứa trẻ ấy mới ba tuổi mà đã có khí thôn Ngưu đẩu. (That child is only three years old but already has the spirit to "swallow an ox.")
  • Câu thơ "Tiểu nhi ngũ tuế khí thôn ngưu" của Đỗ Phủ miêu tả một cậu bé phi thường. (Du Fu's poetic line "A small child of five with the spirit to swallow an ox" describes an extraordinary boy.)

Advanced Usage

• This idiom is primarily found in classical Vietnamese literature and poetry, drawing directly from Chinese literary典故 (allusions). Its usage in modern Vietnamese is highly literary and rare, typically used to evoke a sense of classical grandeur or to describe a prodigy.

Variants and Related Words

• Chí lớn (n): Great ambition.

  • Cậu ấy có chí lớn từ nhỏ. (He had great ambition from a young age.)

• Khí phách (n): Mettle, spirit.

  • Người anh hùng có khí phách hiên ngang. (The hero had an indomitable spirit.)

Synonyms

• Towering ambition: Lofty and grand ambition.
• Indomitable spirit: A spirit that cannot be subdued.
• Prodigious potential: Remarkably great potential from youth.

Related Idioms

• Chí tại tứ phương: Ambition lies across the four directions (meaning one's aspirations are boundless).

  • Chàng trai trẻ với tâm niệm "chí tại tứ phương". (The young man with the belief that "ambition lies across the four directions.")

• Hổ phụ sinh hổ tử: A tiger father begets a tiger son (meaning exceptional qualities are inherited).

  • Gia đình đó đúng là hổ phụ sinh hổ tử. (That family is a true case of a tiger father begetting a tiger son.)