Definition

1. Noun:
   • An empty dream, a vain illusion: "Nam kha" refers to a dream or an aspiration that is ultimately unreal, fleeting, and without substance, often used to symbolize the transient and illusory nature of fame, wealth, or worldly pursuits.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Công danh phú quý chỉ là một giấc nam kha. (Fame and fortune are but an empty dream.)
  • Anh ta đã theo đuổi giấc mơ nam kha đó suốt cả cuộc đời. (He pursued that vain illusion his entire life.)

Advanced Usage

• "giấc nam kha": This is the most common collocation, literally meaning "the Nam Kha dream," and is used to denote a futile or illusory dream.
  • Đừng để mình bị cuốn vào giấc nam kha của quyền lực. (Don't let yourself be swept into the empty dream of power.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ảo mộng (n): Illusion, mirage. A more general synonym for a false or unattainable dream.
• Ảo tưởng (n): Delusion, fantasy. Often implies a mistaken belief.

Synonyms

• Giấc mơ hão huyền: A futile, baseless dream.
• Bào ảnh: A bubble, something beautiful but ephemeral and insubstantial (like a mirage).

Related Idioms

• "Nam kha nhất mộng": Literally "one dream of Nam Kha," emphasizing the brevity and illusory nature of an experience, similar to the English idiom "a pipe dream."
  • Sự nghiệp lừng lẫy của hắn rốt cuộc cũng chỉ là nam kha nhất mộng. (His glorious career turned out to be nothing but a pipe dream.)

1. Empty dream