Kiện sừng sẽ

Definition

1. Idiom (Thành ngữ):
   • To bring a groundless lawsuit; to sue on a false pretext: This idiom describes the act of fabricating a baseless reason or excuse in order to file a lawsuit or make a complaint against someone. It implies malicious intent and the use of a nonsensical or invented justification to cause trouble for another person.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Hắn ta không có bằng chứng gì, chỉ đang kiện sừng sẽ để hành hạ đối phương mà thôi. (He has no evidence; he is just bringing a groundless lawsuit to harass the other party.)
  • Việc đó rõ ràng là lỗi của anh ta, giờ lại đi kiện sừng sẽ người khác. (That was clearly his fault, and now he's suing others on a false pretext.)

Advanced Usage

• The idiom originates from a classical Chinese poem (cited in the ), which uses rhetorical questions about impossible things (a bird with horns, a rat with fangs) to criticize someone for using a non-existent pretext (a missing wedding ceremony) to force a lawsuit or marriage. Its usage has evolved to broadly mean initiating legal action based on a fabricated or utterly unreasonable claim.

Variants and Related Words

• Kiện cáo (v): to sue, to litigate.
  • Hai bên đã kiện cáo nhau ra tòa. (The two parties have sued each other in court.)
• Vu cáo (v): to falsely accuse, to frame.
  • Bị cáo khẳng định mình bị vu cáo. (The defendant insisted they were falsely accused.)

Synonyms

• To litigate frivolously: To engage in lawsuits with no serious purpose or chance of success.
• To bring a vexatious suit: To initiate legal proceedings intended to annoy or harass, rather than to resolve a genuine dispute.

Related Idioms

• Bày chuyện: to make up a story, to create trouble.
  • Đừng có bày chuyện không có. (Don't make up stories / Don't create trouble out of nothing.)
• Vạch lá tìm sâu: (literally: to part leaves looking for worms) to nitpick, to look for faults.
  • Anh ấy luôn vạch lá tìm sâu trong mọi việc. (He always nitpicks and looks for faults in everything.)