Definition

1. Noun:
   • Whale: A very large marine mammal. This is a literary or archaic term for "whale" in Vietnamese.
   • Killer whale (Orca): In some specific contexts, it can refer to the orca, which is also known as the killer whale.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong thần thoại, kình ngư là một sinh vật khổng lồ của đại dương. (In mythology, the kình ngư is a gigantic creature of the ocean.)
  • Các nhà thơ cổ thường ví von sóng biển với kình ngư. (Ancient poets often likened ocean waves to the kình ngư.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is primarily used in literary, poetic, or historical contexts. In modern, everyday Vietnamese, the more common and general term for "whale" is "cá voi".
• It can be found in classical Vietnamese literature, proverbs, and idiomatic expressions to evoke a sense of grandeur, antiquity, or the vastness of the sea.

Variants and Related Words

• Cá kình: This is a more direct and slightly more modern synonym, also meaning "whale". It is the term from which is derived.
• Cá voi: The standard, modern Vietnamese word for "whale".
• Kình: A shortened, poetic form sometimes used to mean "whale" or something large and powerful.

Synonyms

• Cá voi: Whale (standard modern term).
• Baleine: Whale (French loanword used in some older or scientific contexts).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Cá vượt Vũ Môn, hóa thành kình ngư": This is a famous idiom originating from a Chinese legend. It means "The fish leaps over the Dragon Gate and transforms into a (whale/dragon)." It symbolizes a dramatic and successful transformation, often used to describe someone who overcomes great difficulties to achieve extraordinary success or a high position.
  • Sau kỳ thi, cậu ấy như cá vượt Vũ Môn hóa thành kình ngư. (After the exam, he was like a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate to become a dragon/achieve great success.)

1. (văn chương) Whale