bình thuỷ hữu duyên

Definition

1. Noun (Compound Noun):
   • "A thermos with fate" or "a destined thermos": A traditional Vietnamese idiomatic expression and folk belief referring to a specific, often old or seemingly ordinary, thermos flask that is believed to be mysteriously always full of hot water, regardless of how much is poured from it. It symbolizes an unexpected, enduring, and fortunate blessing.
   • A serendipitous or magical object: More broadly, it can represent any simple, everyday item that brings continuous, unexplained good fortune to its owner, as if by fate or destiny.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông cụ có một bình thuỷ hữu duyên, nước trong bình chẳng bao giờ cạn. (The old man has a "destined thermos"; the water in it never runs out.)
  • Câu chuyện về chiếc bình thuỷ hữu duyên ấy được truyền tai nhau nhiều đời. (The story of that "thermos with fate" has been passed down for generations.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is deeply rooted in Vietnamese folk culture and is often used in storytelling to illustrate themes of gratitude, mystery, and humble, lasting fortune. It is not used in modern, literal contexts about actual thermoses.

Variants and Related Words

• Bình thủy (n): thermos, vacuum flask. This is the standard, non-idiomatic term for the object.
  • Cô ấy pha trà bằng nước nóng từ bình thủy. (She makes tea with hot water from the thermos.)

Synonyms

• Lucky charm: an object believed to bring good luck.
• Talisman: an object thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.
• Perpetual blessing: a benefit that continues indefinitely.

Related Idioms and Concepts

• Của hữu duyên: "a destined possession." This broader concept refers to any object that seems fated to belong to a particular person, often bringing them sustained benefit.
  • Chiếc xe cũ ấy đúng là của hữu duyên, chạy bền bỉ dù đã cũ. (That old car is truly a "destined possession"; it runs reliably despite its age.)
• The reference definition "bèo nước có duyên" ("water fern with fate") is a parallel folk idiom, using a different object (duckweed) to convey a similar idea of a modest thing blessed with enduring presence or fortune.