Definition

1. Noun:

   • Cloud and smoke: A literal compound noun describing the natural phenomena of clouds and smoke, often used together to depict a misty or hazy atmosphere.
   • Mist, haze, or vapor: A poetic term referring to a diffuse, ethereal, or insubstantial substance, similar to a fine mist that obscures clarity.

2. Noun (figurative):

   • Ephemeral things, illusions, or vanity: Represents things that are transient, illusory, or without substance, such as fleeting beauty, empty fame, or false appearances that will soon disappear.

Usage Examples

• Noun (literal):

  • Sương sớm tạo thành một màn mây khói mờ ảo. (The morning dew formed a veil of misty haze.)
  • Khói từ ống khói hòa vào mây, tạo cảnh mây khói. (Smoke from the chimney blended with the clouds, creating a scene of cloud and smoke.)

• Noun (figurative):

  • Danh vọng ấy chỉ là mây khói, rồi sẽ tan biến. (That fame is merely an illusion, it will eventually vanish.)
  • Đừng theo đuổi những thứ mây khói. (Do not pursue ephemeral things.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in literary, philosophical, or religious contexts to convey the Buddhist or Taoist concept of the impermanence and emptiness of worldly phenomena.
• Can describe a state of confusion or obscurity, where things are not clear or are deceptive.

Variants and Related Words

• Mây mù (n): thick fog or cloud; can also mean obscurity or confusion.
• Khói sóng (n): smoke and waves; a poetic phrase evoking a scenic but vague image.

Synonyms

• Mist: a cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere.
• Haze: a slight obscuration of the lower atmosphere, typically caused by fine suspended particles.
• Illusion: a false idea or belief; something that deceives by producing a false impression.
• Vanity: the quality of being worthless or futile.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Tan thành mây khói: to vanish into thin air; to disappear completely without a trace.
  • Giấc mơ của hắn đã tan thành mây khói. (His dream vanished into thin air.)
• Mây khói phù du: ephemeral as mist and smoke; emphasizes extreme transience.
  • Hạnh phúc ấy như mây khói phù du. (That happiness is as ephemeral as mist and smoke.)