Definitions

1. Noun:
   • A black horse: A horse with a uniformly black coat. This term specifically describes the horse's color, not its breed or other characteristics.
   • A dark horse (figurative): In some contexts, it can refer to a little-known but unexpectedly successful competitor or candidate.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trên cánh đồng, chú ngựa ô đang phi nước đại. (On the field, the black horse is galloping.)
  • Trong truyện cổ tích, hiệp sĩ thường cưỡi một con ngựa ô. (In fairy tales, the knight often rides a black horse.)
  • Anh ấy là con ngựa ô của cuộc đua này, không ai ngờ anh ấy sẽ thắng. (He is the dark horse of this race; no one expected him to win.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ngựa ô ăn cỏ trắng": A Vietnamese idiom. Literally "a black horse eats white grass," it is used to describe a situation where something is out of place, contradictory, or illogical.
  • Việc đó như ngựa ô ăn cỏ trắng, chẳng hợp lý chút nào. (That matter is like a black horse eating white grass; it makes no sense at all.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngựa (n): Horse. The general term.
• Ô (adj): Black, dark. An adjective meaning black, often used in literary or compound contexts (e.g., mây ô - dark clouds).
• Ngựa bạch (n): White horse. The direct antonym in terms of horse color.
• Ngựa hồng (n): Bay horse (reddish-brown horse).

Synonyms

• Ngựa đen: A more literal, descriptive synonym meaning "black horse." While ngựa ô is the standard, fixed term, ngựa đen is also understandable.
• Dark horse (English loan concept): Used in the figurative sense of an unexpected contender.

Related Idioms

• "Ngựa ô chẳng cưỡi, cưỡi bò, đường ngay chẳng chạy, chạy dò đường quanh": A Vietnamese proverb. Literally "Not riding a black horse, but riding an ox; not running the straight road, but meandering the winding path." It criticizes someone for making foolish choices, preferring the worse option over the better, correct one.
  • Anh ta từ chối công việc tốt để làm việc vất vả này, đúng là ngựa ô chẳng cưỡi, cưỡi bò. (He refused the good job to do this hard labor; it's truly not riding a black horse, but riding an ox.)

noun

1. black horse