Definition

1. Noun:

   • Gadfly, horsefly: A type of large fly that bites and sucks the blood of cattle and buffaloes.
   • Teal (bird): A type of small, wild duck (often found in flocks).

2. Verb (literary, rare):

   • To wait eagerly, to long for: To anticipate or look forward to something with keen expectation.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Insect):

  • Con trâu vẫy đuôi đuổi con mòng. (The buffalo flicked its tail to shoo away the gadfly.)
  • Mùa hè, trâu bò thường bị mòng đốt. (In summer, buffaloes and cattle are often bitten by horseflies.)

• Noun (Bird):

  • Đàn mòng đang kiếm ăn trên cánh đồng. (A flock of teal is foraging in the field.)
  • Chim mòng là một loài vịt trời nhỏ. (The teal is a type of small wild duck.)

• Verb (To long for):

  • Mòng tin. (To eagerly await news.)
  • Lòng người chiến sĩ mòng ngày thắng trận. (The soldier's heart longed for the day of victory.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mòng biển": Literally "sea gadfly," this is a specific term for a type of seabird (like a gull or tern), not an insect. It is a compound noun.

  • Những con mòng biển bay lượn trên mặt biển. (The seagulls were soaring over the sea.)

• "Mòng két": This is a compound noun referring specifically to the common teal (a bird species, Anas crecca).

  • Mòng két là loài chim di cư. (The common teal is a migratory bird.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mộng (夢): This is the Sino-Vietnamese word for "dream." In literary contexts, can be used with a similar meaning to , as noted in the reference ( - like a dream).
  • Giấc mộng. (A dream.)

Synonyms

• Ruồi trâu: Another term for gadfly/horsefly (insect).
• Vịt trời: Wild duck (bird category).
• Trông ngóng, mong ngóng: To look forward to, to await eagerly (verb).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary, most common meaning of mòng in modern Vietnamese is the insect (gadfly).
• The meaning as a bird (teal) is also standard but belongs to a more specific, zoological context.
• The verbal meaning (to long for) is now rare and used primarily in literary or classical contexts. In modern speech, mong is the standard word for "to hope" or "to wish for."

1. Teal (chim)
2. Gad-fly
   • Con trâu vẫy đuôi đuổi con mòng
     The buffalo flicked off a gad-fly with its tail.
3. (văn chương) như mộng