cá ngựa
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun (Zoology):
- Seahorse: A small, upright-swimming marine fish (genus Hippocampus) characterized by a head and neck resembling those of a horse, a prehensile tail, and a body covered in bony plates. The male carries the fertilized eggs in a brood pouch.
- Dried Seahorse (for medicine): The dried body of this animal, used in traditional medicine, particularly in East Asian pharmacopeia.
Noun (Gambling):
- Horse race betting: The act or practice of placing bets on the outcome of horse races.
- A bet on a horse race: A specific wager placed on a horse race.
Noun (Game):
- A dice game: A traditional Vietnamese board game where players roll dice to move wooden horse pieces along a track in a simulated race.
Usage Examples
Noun (Zoology):
- Cá ngựa là một trong những loài cá có hình dáng kỳ lạ nhất. (The seahorse is one of the most peculiarly shaped fish.)
- Ông ấy mua cá ngựa khô về ngâm rượu thuốc. (He bought dried seahorse to steep in medicinal wine.)
Noun (Gambling):
- Anh ta mất rất nhiều tiền vì cá ngựa. (He lost a lot of money on horse race betting.)
- Hôm nay tôi đặt một con cá ngựa vào con ngựa số 3. (Today I placed a bet on horse number 3.)
Noun (Game):
- Trẻ con thường chơi cá ngựa vào dịp Tết. (Children often play the seahorse dice game during Tet holiday.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "chơi cá ngựa" is ambiguous and its meaning depends entirely on context. It can mean:
- To play the traditional board/dice game.
- (Colloquial) To engage in horse race gambling.
Variants and Related Words
- Hải mã: (Noun) A more formal, Sino-Vietnamese term for "seahorse," often used in scientific or formal contexts.
- Đánh cá ngựa: (Verb phrase) Specifically means to gamble on horse races.
- Cá ngựa thuốc: (Noun phrase) Refers specifically to seahorses used for medicinal purposes.
Synonyms
- Seahorse: sea horse, hippocampus (scientific).
- Horse race betting: horse gambling, wagering on horses.
- The dice game: The horse-racing board game.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Nghiện cá ngựa: To be addicted to horse race gambling.
- Cả gia sản tiêu tan vì nghiện cá ngựa. (The entire fortune was lost due to an addiction to horse betting.)
- Sắc cá ngựa: Refers to the brownish or yellowish color of a dried seahorse, sometimes used to describe a similar dull color.
- Seahorse
- Cá Hải Mã (Sea Horse)Bet in horse-races
- chơi cá ngựato play at horse-racing game (with dices)