Definition

Idiom: - To flee, to run away, to escape: This idiom describes the action of quickly and completely running away or escaping from a place, often to avoid trouble, danger, or responsibility. It implies a swift and often permanent departure.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Sau khi gây ra tai nạn, tên tài xế đã cao bay xa chạy. (After causing the accident, the driver fled the scene.)
  • Khi cảnh sát đến, bọn tội phạm đã cao bay xa chạy mất rồi. (When the police arrived, the criminals had already run away.)
  • Nó nợ nần chồng chất nên đành cao bay xa chạy khỏi thành phố. (He was deep in debt, so he had to escape from the city.)

Advanced Usage Notes

• This idiom is often used in a negative context, describing someone escaping from a problematic situation they caused (e.g., debt, crime, punishment). It carries a connotation of evasion and irresponsibility.
• It is a fixed expression. The order of the words is almost always "cao bay xa chạy". The variant "cao chạy xa bay" (mentioned in the reference) has the same meaning and is equally common.

Variants and Related Words

• Cao chạy xa bay (idiom): A direct variant meaning the same thing: to flee, to run far away.
  • Nghe tin bị truy nã, hắn đã cao chạy xa bay. (Upon hearing he was wanted, he fled far away.)
• Bỏ chạy (verb phrase): to run away.
• Trốn chạy (verb phrase): to flee, to escape.

Synonyms

• Chạy trốn: to flee, to escape.
• Tẩu thoát: to make an escape (more formal).
• Bỏ trốn: to abscond, to run off.

Related Idioms

• Chuồn mất: to slip away, to sneak off (informal).
• Biến mất tăm: to disappear without a trace.

verb

1. to fly; to run away