Definition

1. Noun:
   • Oriole: A type of songbird, often with bright yellow or orange and black plumage, known for its melodious singing. This is the primary zoological meaning.
   • (Archaic/Classical) A high-pitched, silvery female voice: In classical and poetic Vietnamese, "oanh" is used metaphorically to describe a woman's clear, high-pitched, and melodious voice.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Bird):
  • Trong vườn có một con oanh vàng đang hót. (There is a yellow oriole singing in the garden.)
  • Tiếng hót của chim oanh rất trong trẻo. (The song of the oriole is very clear.)
• Noun (Voice - Classical/Poetic):
  • Nàng có giọng nói trong như tiếng oanh. (She has a voice as clear as an oriole's song.)
  • "Con oanh học nói trên cành mỉa mai" (Truyện Kiều) ("The oriole learning to speak on the branch is mocking" - a classical literary reference where "oanh" symbolizes a chattering or mimicking voice, often used in a figurative, sometimes ironic, context.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tiếng oanh": Literally "the sound of an oriole". This phrase is commonly used in poetry and classical literature to evoke beauty, spring, or a melodious sound.
  • Mùa xuân đến với tiếng oanh thánh thót. (Spring arrives with the crystal-clear song of the oriole.)
• Used in classical poetry and idioms to create imagery, often associated with youth, beauty, and the arrival of spring.

Variants and Related Words

• Chim oanh: A more specific term for the bird, meaning "oriole bird".
• Hoàng oanh: A specific, more literary term for the oriole, often found in classical poetry. (e.g., from the referenced line in ).
• Oanh vàng: "Yellow oriole", a common descriptor.
• Oanh yến: A compound term sometimes used poetically to refer to songbirds like orioles and swallows, symbolizing spring or harmonious sounds.

Synonyms

• Chim vàng anh: Another name for oriole, specifically the Black-naped Oriole.
• Loriot (French): The French word for oriole, as seen in the historical Vietnamese-French dictionary reference.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary modern meaning is the bird (oriole).
• The meaning related to a high-pitched female voice ("voix argentine") is now primarily archaic, classical, or poetic. It is rarely used in everyday modern conversation but remains important for understanding classical Vietnamese literature and poetry.
• The reference "Con oanh học nói" from uses "oanh" in a complex, figurative way, implying mimicry or ironic chattering, which is a specific literary usage.

1. Oriole
   • Tiếng oanh (cũ)
     Highpitched female voice