Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Hunting dog: A dog specifically bred, trained, or used for assisting hunters in finding, chasing, or retrieving game.
   • (Figurative, derogatory) Running dog; lackey: A person who blindly and obediently serves the interests of a more powerful person, group, or ideology, often used in political contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Literal):

  • Anh ấy nuôi một con chó săn rất khôn. (He keeps a very smart hunting dog.)
  • Giống chó săn này có khứu giác cực kỳ nhạy bén. (This breed of hunting dog has an extremely keen sense of smell.)

• Noun (Figurative):

  • Bọn chó săn của chế độ cũ đã bị bắt. (The running dogs of the old regime have been arrested.)
  • Hắn ta chỉ là tên chó săn cho bọn tư bản. (He is just a running dog for the capitalists.)

Advanced Usage

• "thính mũi như chó săn": To have a nose as sharp as a hunting dog's; to have a very keen sense of smell or, figuratively, to be very perceptive or quick to detect something.
  • Phóng viên đó thính mũi như chó săn, luôn tìm ra các vụ scandal. (That reporter has a nose like a hunting dog, always uncovering scandals.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chó nghiệp vụ: Working dog (e.g., police dog, military dog).
• Chó săn vịt: Retriever (a type of hunting dog for fetching waterfowl).
• Săn bắn: Hunting (the activity).

Synonyms

• Thợ săn: Hunter (the person). a synonym for the dog itself.
• Kẻ tay sai: Henchman; lackey (figurative, derogatory sense).
• Kẻ nịnh thần: Sycophant; flatterer (figurative sense, emphasizing servility).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Làm chó săn cho ai: To act as someone's running dog/lackey.
  • Hắn không ngại làm chó săn cho ông chủ để được thăng chức. (He doesn't mind being the boss's running dog to get a promotion.)

Important Notes

• The literal meaning refers specifically to a dog used in hunting. Common breeds include pointers, retrievers, and hounds.
• The figurative meaning is strongly pejorative and carries a heavy political or moral condemnation, implying blind obedience and servility. Use with great caution in modern contexts.

1. Hunting dog
   • thính mũi như chó săn
     to have a sensitive scent like a hunting dog
2. Running dog