Definition

1. Noun (Literary/Archaic):
   • Tiger: A large, powerful wild cat (genus Panthera), specifically referring to a tiger. This term is primarily used in classical or literary Vietnamese contexts, proverbs, and idioms, carrying a more majestic or fearsome connotation than the modern, common word "hổ".

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sức mạnh của loài hùm. (The strength of the tiger.)
  • Câu chuyện về một con hùm trong rừng sâu. (A story about a tiger in the deep forest.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "hùm" is most famously used in the classical proverb "Miệng hùm nọc rắn" (Tiger's mouth, snake's venom). This idiom metaphorically describes an extremely dangerous place or situation, or a person of great brutality and treachery.
  • Nơi ấy thực sự là miệng hùm nọc rắn. (That place is truly a tiger's mouth and snake's venom [a den of iniquity].)

Variants and Related Words

• Hổ (n): The standard, modern Vietnamese word for "tiger".
  • Sở thú có một con hổ trắng. (The zoo has a white tiger.)

Synonyms

• Tiger: The large feline predator.
• Beast (figurative): When used to imply ferocity or danger.

Related Idioms

• Miệng hùm nọc rắn: Literally "tiger's mouth, snake's venom". An idiom denoting a perilous environment or a vicious, deceitful character.
  • Anh ta không nên đi vào chốn miệng hùm nọc rắn đó một mình. (He should not go into that tiger's mouth and snake's venom [that vipers' nest] alone.)

1. (văn chương) Tiger
   • Miệng hùm nọc rắn
     Tiger's mouth and snake's venom, brutality and perfidy