thơm lây
Definition
- Idiomatic Phrase:
- To bask in reflected glory; to enjoy a share of someone else's good reputation or success: The phrase describes the positive effect or enhanced social standing one experiences indirectly due to their close association with a successful, virtuous, or prestigious person. It implies receiving undeserved or secondary praise and honor.
Usage Examples
- Idiomatic Phrase:
- Anh trai tôi đoạt huy chương vàng, tôi cũng cảm thấy thơm lây. (My brother won a gold medal, and I also feel I bask in his reflected glory.)
- Con cái thành đạt, cha mẹ thơm lây. (When children are successful, their parents share in the honor.)
- Cô ấy là bạn thân của nhà vô địch, nên cũng thơm lây trên báo chí. (She is the champion's close friend, so she also enjoys some of the limelight in the press.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used in a humble or modest context, where the speaker acknowledges that the praise they receive is borrowed and not directly earned through their own actions.
- It can carry a slight nuance of pleasant surprise or good fortune for being connected to someone admirable.
Variants and Related Words
- Hưởng lây (v): To benefit indirectly (can be used for both positive and negative spillover effects).
- Lỗi của anh ta khiến cả đội hưởng lây. (His mistake caused the whole team to suffer the consequences.)
Synonyms
- To bask in reflected glory: To enjoy praise or honor that comes from association with another's achievements.
- To share in the honor: To partake in the credit or prestige.
- To ride on someone's coattails: To benefit from someone else's success (can have a more negative, opportunistic connotation than ).
Related Idioms
- Một người làm quan, cả họ được nhờ: (When one person becomes a mandarin, the whole clan benefits.) A proverb expressing a similar concept of collective benefit from an individual's success.
- Gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng: (Near ink, you get black; near a lamp, you become bright.) A proverb about being influenced by one's company, where the second part relates to the positive influence akin to .