Definition

1. Noun:
   • Whale (specifically a baleen whale): "cá kình" refers to a large marine mammal of the order Cetacea, specifically a type of baleen whale (like a rorqual). It is a general, though somewhat dated or literary, term for a whale in Vietnamese.
   • Figuratively, a very large or powerful entity: Can be used metaphorically to describe something or someone of immense size, power, or influence.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đàn cá kình đang di cư về phía nam. (A pod of whales is migrating south.)
  • Công ty đó là một con cá kình trong ngành công nghệ. (That company is a whale in the technology industry.)

Advanced Usage

• "cá kình cá lặn": An idiom meaning "all kinds of fish," used to refer to a diverse mix of people or things, often of varying importance or character.
  • Hội nghị có đủ các hạng cá kình cá lặn. (The conference had all sorts of people, from the big shots to the small fry.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cá voi: The more common and modern general term for "whale."
• Cá nhà táng: Sperm whale.
• Cá voi xanh: Blue whale.
• Cá voi lưng gù: Humpback whale.

Synonyms

• Cá voi: Whale (more common synonym).
• Kình ngư: A literary or archaic synonym for a large whale or sea monster.

Related Idioms

• "Cá kình cá lặn": As mentioned above, meaning all sorts of creatures/people, the great and the small.
• "Nuôi cá kình trong ao": Literally "to raise a whale in a pond," meaning to harbor or manage something too large or powerful for the given environment or situation.