Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To fly until one's wings are exhausted: The primary meaning describes a bird flying so much or so hard that its wings become fatigued or give out.
   • To be worn out from flying: It conveys a state of extreme fatigue from sustained flight.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Chim ưng bay suốt ngày, rã cánh mà vẫn chưa tìm được con mồi. (The eagle flew all day, its wings exhausted, and still hadn't found prey.)
  • Sau chuyến di cư dài, đàn chim đã rã cánh đậu khắp bãi biển. (After the long migration, the flock of birds, utterly worn out from flying, landed all over the beach.)

Advanced Usage

• While primarily literal, it can be used metaphorically in literary contexts to describe extreme human exhaustion from relentless effort or travel.
  • Sau chuyến công tác liên tục, anh ấy cảm thấy như rã cánh. (After the continuous business trip, he felt as if his wings had flown off.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mỏi cánh (verb phrase): to have tired wings. This is a more common and less extreme synonym.
  • Chim bồ câu đã mỏi cánh sau chuyến bay dài. (The dove had tired wings after the long flight.)

Synonyms

• To be flight-weary: to be tired from flying.
• To be worn out from flight: to be exhausted due to flying.

Related Idioms

• Rã rời (adjective): utterly exhausted, worn out (applies generally, not just to flight). This is the general state that "rã cánh" specifically applies to a bird's wings.
  • Làm việc cả tuần, tôi cảm thấy rã rời. (After working all week, I feel utterly exhausted.)

1. Fly one's wings off (of birds)