nghiêng nước
Definition
- Idiom (Verb phrase):
- To mobilize the entire military force of a nation for war: The literal meaning describes the act of tilting or emptying a country (its military resources) to engage in conflict. It implies a total, all-out commitment of national strength to a military campaign.
- To be of extraordinary, captivating beauty: This is the most common figurative meaning. It describes beauty so stunning it is metaphorically powerful enough to topple cities and overwhelm states, derived from the classical Vietnamese idiom "nghiêng nước nghiêng thành."
Usage Examples
- Literal (historical/formal context):
- Nhà vua quyết định nghiêng nước để phản công. (The king decided to mobilize the entire nation for a counterattack.)
- Figurative (describing beauty):
- Vẻ đẹp của nàng được ví như có thể nghiêng nước nghiêng thành. (Her beauty was likened to being able to topple states and overthrow cities.)
- Cô ấy thật sự có một nhan sắc nghiêng nước. (She truly possesses a beauty that could overwhelm a kingdom.)
Advanced Usage
- The idiom is most famously and completely used in the four-character literary phrase "nghiêng nước nghiêng thành" (傾國傾城). This set phrase is a direct borrowing from Classical Chinese poetry and is the standard form to express "earth-shattering, devastating beauty."
- Truyền thuyết kể về những giai nhân nghiêng nước nghiêng thành. (Legends tell of beauties whose looks could topple cities and states.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nghiêng thành (idiom): Part of the larger phrase, focusing on the "toppling cities" aspect of devastating beauty.
- Khuynh thành (idiom): A Sino-Vietnamese variant of "nghiêng thành" with the same meaning.
Synonyms
- Figurative: devastating beauty, breathtaking beauty, stunning beauty, beauty that could launch a thousand ships.
- Literal: to commit the entire nation to war, to wage total war.
Related Idioms
- Nghiêng nước nghiêng thành: The full, classical idiom meaning "to be beautiful enough to cause the fall of cities and states."
- Một người hùng nghiêng nước: A hero who can tilt the fate of a nation (less common, modern adaptation).