mai hình tú bộ
Definition
Noun Phrase: - A poetic and classical Vietnamese idiom describing a woman of exceptional beauty. It literally compares her slender figure to a plum blossom branch ("mai hình") and her delicate, graceful steps to fine embroidery ("tú bộ"), creating an image of elegant and refined feminine beauty.
Usage Examples
- Noun Phrase:
- Trong thơ ca cổ, người ta thường ví von người thiếu nữ có "mai hình tú bộ". (In classical poetry, a maiden is often described as having "a plum-blossom figure and embroidered steps.")
- Vẻ đẹp của nàng khiến người ta liên tưởng đến cụm từ "mai hình tú bộ". (Her beauty made people think of the phrase "a slender figure and graceful gait.")
Advanced Usage
- This phrase is almost exclusively found in classical Vietnamese literature, poetry, or highly stylized, formal writing. It is not used in everyday modern conversation.
Word Origin and Notes
- Origin: This is a four-syllable literary idiom (từ Hán Việt) derived from classical Chinese poetic imagery. "Mai" (梅) means plum blossom, "hình" (形) means form/figure, "tú" (繡) means embroidery, and "bộ" (步) means step/gait.
- Note: It functions as a fixed literary epithet to evoke an idealized, traditional standard of beauty.
Synonyms
- Slender and graceful beauty: A direct conceptual translation.
- Willowy figure with elegant steps: A descriptive synonym.
- Ravishing beauty: A more general modern equivalent, though it loses the specific poetic imagery.