Definition

1. Idiom:
   • An event where five princes fled across a river: This idiom refers specifically to the historical event of five princes of the Jin dynasty fleeing from chaos and crossing the Yangtze River. It symbolizes a disorderly escape or exodus of a group from danger or turmoil.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Cảnh tượng hỗn loạn ấy chẳng khác nào "Năm ngựa lội sông Nam". (That chaotic scene was no different from the "event of the five horses crossing the southern river".)
  • Câu chuyện "Năm ngựa lội sông Nam" là một điển tích nổi tiếng. (The story of the "five horses fording the southern river" is a famous classical allusion.)

Advanced Usage

• This idiom is a classical allusion (điển tích). It is used in literary or formal contexts to evoke a sense of historical chaos and desperate flight, often to draw a parallel to a contemporary situation of disorderly retreat or mass exodus.

Variants and Related Words

• Chạy loạn (v): to flee from chaos or rebellion.
  • Dân làng phải chạy loạn khỏi vùng chiến sự. (The villagers had to flee from the chaos of the war zone.)

Synonyms

• Disorderly flight: A confused and hurried escape.
• Mass exodus: A large-scale departure of people, often due to a crisis.

Related Idioms

• Tán gia bại sản: to lose one's family fortune (often used in contexts of disaster and ruin, which can accompany a forced flight).
  • Sau trận loạn, nhiều gia đình rơi vào cảnh tán gia bại sản. (After the rebellion, many families were ruined and lost their fortunes.)