Ngựa qua cửa sổ

Definition

Idiom (Thành ngữ):
- Time flies / The swift passage of time: This idiom is a literary and metaphorical expression describing how time passes extremely quickly, like a fleeting glimpse. It originates from the classical Chinese phrase "Bạch câu quá khích" (a white dove/flash of light passing through a crack), which was later adapted into Vietnamese as "Ngựa qua cửa sổ" (horse passing by the window). It evokes an image of something fast (a horse, a dove, a sunbeam) seen only for an instant through a narrow opening, symbolizing the brevity and speed of a moment or of life itself.

Usage Examples

Idiom:
- Nhìn con lớn nhanh, tôi chợt cảm nhận "ngựa qua cửa sổ". (Seeing my child grow up so fast, I suddenly felt how "time flies".)
- Mười năm đã trôi qua, thật đúng là "ngựa qua cửa sổ". (Ten years have passed, it truly is like "a horse passing by the window".)

Advanced Usage

This idiom is primarily used in written or formal, reflective speech to convey a poetic or philosophical sense of time's transience. It is not used in casual, everyday conversation about daily schedules.
It often carries a tone of nostalgia, wonder, or melancholy about the rapid passage of life, youth, or a specific period.

Variants and Related Words

Bóng câu (cửa sổ): Literally "the shadow/image of a dove (at the window)". This is a more direct and common poetic variant of the same concept, also meaning a fleeting moment or the swift passage of time.
- Đời người tựa bóng câu qua cửa sổ. (A human life is like a dove's shadow passing the window.)
Thoắt: (adverb) swiftly, in a flash. Often used to describe quick actions and can complement the feeling of this idiom.
- Một năm thoắt cái đã hết. (A year was over in a flash.)

Synonyms

Thời gian thấm thoắt thoi đưa: Time slips away swiftly (like a shuttle on a loom).
Nhanh như chớp: As fast as lightning (more general, for speed of action, not specifically time).
Thoáng qua: to pass fleetingly.

Related Idioms

Proverbs and Idioms