Definition

1. Noun:
   • Scarecrow, dummy: A figure, often made of straw and old clothes, placed in a field to scare birds away from crops.
   • Puppet, quisling: A person, government, or organization that appears to be in charge but is actually controlled by a more powerful force.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bù nhìn giữ dưa. (A scarecrow guarded a field of melons.)
  • Đó chỉ là một chính quyền bù nhìn. (That is just a puppet government.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used metaphorically to describe a person in a position of apparent authority who lacks real power or autonomy and acts on behalf of others.

Variants and Related Words

• Bù nhìn rơm (n): Straw dummy; emphasizes the construction material of a traditional scarecrow.

Synonyms

• Scarecrow: A decoy used to scare birds.
• Puppet: A person whose actions are controlled by others.
• Figurehead: A leader in name only.

Related Idioms

• While "bù nhìn" itself is often used in idiomatic constructions (e.g., ), it is less common in standalone Vietnamese idioms. Its primary figurative use is as a direct metaphor for a powerless entity controlled by another.

noun

1. Scarecrow, dummy
   • bù nhìn giữ dưa
     a scarecrow guarded a field of melons
   • bù nhìn rơm
     a straw dummy
2. Puppet, quisling
   • tổng thống bù nhìn
     a puppet president, a quisling president