Definition

1. Noun:
   • Dragonfly: A type of insect with a long, thin body, large eyes, and two pairs of long, transparent wings. It is often seen near water.
   • Damselfly: A similar, closely related insect, often more slender and typically holding its wings together over its body when at rest.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhìn kìa, một con chuồn chuồn đang đậu trên cây sậy. (Look, a dragonfly is perched on the reed.)
  • Trẻ con thường thích chạy theo bắt chuồn chuồn. (Children often like to run after and catch dragonflies.)
  • Chuồn chuồn kim thường có thân hình rất mảnh mai. (Damselflies usually have very slender bodies.)

Advanced Usage

• "chuồn chuồn đạp nước": Literally "a dragonfly skims the water." This idiom describes a superficial or shallow style of work, where one only touches the surface without going into depth.
  • Anh ta làm việc kiểu chuồn chuồn đạp nước, chẳng đi vào chi tiết nào cả. (He works in a superficial way, not going into any details.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chuồn chuồn kim (n): Damselfly. A specific type of "chuồn chuồn," typically more delicate.
• Con chuồn chuồn (n): The dragonfly (using the general classifier "con" for animals).

Synonyms

• Con mũi kim (n, regional/less common): Literally "needle-nose," sometimes used for damselflies.
• Con cá ngựa (n, folk/poetic): Literally "horse-fish," an old or poetic folk name for the dragonfly.

Related Idioms

• "Chuồn chuồn bay thấp thì mưa, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm": A Vietnamese folk weather proverb: "If dragonflies fly low, it will rain; if they fly high, it will be sunny; if they fly at a medium height, it will be shady."
• "Tháng bảy heo may, chuồn chuồn bay thì bão": Another proverb: "In the seventh lunar month with the autumn wind, if dragonflies fly, there will be a storm."

noun

1. Dragon-fly
   • chuồn chuồn đạp nước
     like a dragon-fly skimming the water; a superficial style of work
2. con chuồn chuồn
   • con chuồn chuồn kim