Khóc dây cung
Noun: - "Khóc dây cung" (lit. "to cry at the bowstring"): A Vietnamese idiom originating from a Chinese legend, describing a state of extreme, instinctive fear or terror in the face of an imminent and inescapable threat. It refers to the profound recognition of one's doom upon encountering the source of danger, often a supremely skilled adversary.
- Noun (used as a predicate or descriptive phrase):
- Nghe tin đối thủ là nhà vô địch, anh ta sợ hãi như khóc dây cung. (Upon hearing his opponent was the champion, he was terrified, as if "crying at the bowstring".)
- Cảm giác khóc dây cung bao trùm hắn khi đối diện với kẻ thù không thể đánh bại. (A feeling of "crying at the bowstring" overwhelmed him when facing an undefeatable enemy.)
- The term is almost exclusively used in a figurative, literary, or proverbial context to evoke a classical allusion. It is not used for ordinary crying or fear.
- It can describe the psychological state of a person, group, or even an entity (like a sports team) that realizes the hopelessness of their situation against a vastly superior force.
- Khiếp sợ (v): to be terrified.
- Kinh hãi (v): to be horrified, appalled.
- Nỗi khiếp đảm (n): a feeling of dread.
- Mortal dread: Extreme fear that death is imminent.
- Terror: Overwhelming fear.
- Helpless despair: A state of hopelessness in the face of danger.
- Run like a headless chicken: To panic and act without purpose (less classical, more colloquial).
- Meet one's Waterloo: To encounter a final, decisive defeat (shares the concept of facing an unbeatable foe).
- The sword of Damocles: An ever-present imminent danger (shares the sense of a looming threat, but "khóc dây cung" emphasizes the reaction of terror upon its arrival).
The idiom comes from the legend of the archer Yang Youji (Dưỡng Do Cơ). A magical white gibbon, previously unhittable by any archer, immediately hugged a tree and cried in despair the moment it saw Yang Youji simply take out his bow, knowing with certainty that it would be killed by his unerring skill. Thus, "khóc dây cung" captures the moment of realizing one is doomed by the mere presence of an ultimate master.