Definition

1. Verb phrase (literal, archaic):
   • To ride a dragon: The literal meaning refers to the mythical act of mounting and riding a dragon.
   • To achieve a happy/auspicious marriage (figurative, idiomatic): An archaic, literary idiom meaning to secure a highly successful and fortunate marriage, often implying marrying into great wealth, high status, or exceptional happiness. It carries a connotation of achieving ultimate good fortune through marriage.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase (figurative):
  • Người xưa thường mơ ước được cưỡi rồng. (The ancients often dreamed of "riding a dragon"/achieving a supremely fortunate marriage.)
  • Câu chuyện cổ tích kể về chàng trai nghèo cưỡi rồng. (The fairy tale tells of a poor young man who "rode a dragon"/made an extraordinarily lucky marriage.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is primarily used in a historical or literary context. In modern Vietnamese, it is very rarely used in everyday speech and would be considered a classical allusion.

Variants and Related Words

• Lên xe hoa (verb phrase): A modern idiom for a woman getting married (lit., to get on the flower-decorated car). This is the common contemporary term, whereas "cưỡi rồng" is archaic and gender-neutral.
• Kết hôn (verb): to marry, to get married (neutral, modern term).

Synonyms

• To marry very well: To make a highly advantageous marriage.
• To secure a brilliant match: To arrange a marriage with a partner of exceptional status or fortune.

Related Idioms

• Cá chép hóa rồng: (lit., the carp transforms into a dragon). This idiom means to achieve a dramatic rise in social status or success. It shares the mythical "dragon" imagery symbolizing supreme achievement and is conceptually related to the fortune implied by "cưỡi rồng."