cưỡi rồng
Definition
- Verb phrase (literal, archaic):
- To ride a dragon: The literal meaning refers to the mythical act of mounting and riding a dragon.
- To achieve a happy/auspicious marriage (figurative, idiomatic): An archaic, literary idiom meaning to secure a highly successful and fortunate marriage, often implying marrying into great wealth, high status, or exceptional happiness. It carries a connotation of achieving ultimate good fortune through marriage.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase (figurative):
- Người xưa thường mơ ước được cưỡi rồng. (The ancients often dreamed of "riding a dragon"/achieving a supremely fortunate marriage.)
- Câu chuyện cổ tích kể về chàng trai nghèo cưỡi rồng. (The fairy tale tells of a poor young man who "rode a dragon"/made an extraordinarily lucky marriage.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is primarily used in a historical or literary context. In modern Vietnamese, it is very rarely used in everyday speech and would be considered a classical allusion.
Variants and Related Words
- Lên xe hoa (verb phrase): A modern idiom for a woman getting married (lit., to get on the flower-decorated car). This is the common contemporary term, whereas "cưỡi rồng" is archaic and gender-neutral.
- Kết hôn (verb): to marry, to get married (neutral, modern term).
Synonyms
- To marry very well: To make a highly advantageous marriage.
- To secure a brilliant match: To arrange a marriage with a partner of exceptional status or fortune.
Related Idioms
- Cá chép hóa rồng: (lit., the carp transforms into a dragon). This idiom means to achieve a dramatic rise in social status or success. It shares the mythical "dragon" imagery symbolizing supreme achievement and is conceptually related to the fortune implied by "cưỡi rồng."