Definition

1. Noun:
   • Flycatcher: A small, insectivorous bird belonging to the family Muscicapidae, known for catching flying insects in mid-air. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • Figurative use for a person: A person who is easily deceived or who believes things too readily, similar to the French idiom "gobe-mouches" (literally "fly-swallower").

Usage Examples

• Noun (Bird):

  • Trong vườn có một con chim đớp ruồi đang bắt côn trùng. (There is a flycatcher in the garden catching insects.)
  • Chim đớp ruồi là loài chim nhỏ có tiếng hót hay. (The flycatcher is a small bird with a beautiful song.)

• Noun (Figurative for a person):

  • Đừng có làm thằng chim đớp ruồi, tin ngay lời nó nói. (Don't be such a gullible person, believing everything he says immediately.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative meaning derives from the bird's behavior of snapping up anything that flies by, applied to a person who "swallows" any information or story without question.
• This term is more common in its literal zoological sense. The figurative use is less frequent but understood, often carrying a slightly old-fashioned or literary tone.

Variants and Related Words

• Họ Chim đớp ruồi (Muscicapidae): The flycatcher family.
• Gobe-mouches: The direct French loan translation, used in some older or more literary Vietnamese contexts with the same dual meaning (bird and gullible person).

Synonyms

• Chim bắt ruồi: A more descriptive synonym meaning "fly-catching bird."
• Người cả tin: A direct synonym for the figurative meaning, meaning "gullible person."
• Kẻ nhẹ dạ: Another synonym for the figurative meaning, meaning "credulous person."

Related Phrases

• Đớp ngay lời nói: A related phrase meaning "to swallow words immediately," emphasizing uncritical acceptance, similar to the figurative use of "chim đớp ruồi."