Khói báo chiến tranh

Definition

1. Noun Phrase:
   • War-alert smoke / War-signal smoke: A literal historical term referring to smoke made from burning wolf dung, used as a beacon to signal an invasion or border attack.
   • Figurative warning of conflict: A metaphor for an early sign, omen, or harbinger of impending war, strife, or serious trouble.

Usage Examples

• Noun Phrase:
  • Từ trên tháp canh, khói báo chiến tranh đã bốc lên. (From the watchtower, the war-alert smoke began to rise.)
  • Những cuộc đụng độ nhỏ ở biên giới như làn khói báo chiến tranh. (The minor clashes at the border are like a warning smoke of war.)

Advanced Usage

• Used primarily in literary, historical, or formal contexts to evoke a sense of looming danger or to describe a precursor to a larger conflict.

Variants and Related Words

• Dấu hiệu chiến tranh (n): sign of war.
• Điềm báo xung đột (n): omen of conflict.

Synonyms

• Harbinger of war: Something that foreshadows the coming of war.
• Omen of conflict: A sign of impending strife.
• Warning signal: An indicator of danger.

Related Idioms

• Chim báo bão: Literally "storm-warning bird"; a metaphor for something or someone that signals coming trouble.
• Lửa đã cháy, khói đã lên: Literally "the fire is burning, the smoke is rising"; meaning a conflict has already begun and its signs are evident.