liu điu

Một con liu điu đang bò trên cành cây khô.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of venomous snake: A small, slender-bodied venomous snake found in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
   • A young snake / snakelet: In classical poetry, it can poetically refer to a young snake or a generic small snake.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong rừng có nhiều loài rắn, trong đó có liu điu. (In the forest, there are many types of snakes, including the liu điu.)
  • "Chẳng phải liu điu cũng giống nhà." (It is not a liu điu, but it is of the same family.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "liu điu" is often used in classical Vietnamese literature and poetry to evoke imagery of small, often harmless-looking creatures, sometimes as a metaphor.

Variants and Related Words

• Rắn (n): snake (the general term).
• Rắn độc (n): venomous snake.

Synonyms

• Small venomous snake: A general description of its primary meaning.
• Snakelet: A poetic synonym for its secondary meaning.

Related Idioms

• While "liu điu" itself is not commonly found in modern idioms, it appears in fixed classical poetic lines, such as the example from Lê Quý Đôn, to make a comparative point about family or nature.