thoát xác
Definition
- Verb:
- To molt / to slough (skin): The primary biological meaning refers to an animal, especially an insect or reptile, shedding its old skin, shell, or exoskeleton as part of its growth process.
- To be freed from the body / to be disembodied: A figurative or spiritual meaning describing the soul or spirit leaving the physical body, often used in mythological, religious, or mystical contexts.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con rắn đang thoát xác. (The snake is sloughing its skin.)
- Theo truyền thuyết, linh hồn có thể thoát xác sau khi chết. (According to legend, the soul can be freed from the body after death.)
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: To describe a profound transformation or rebirth, leaving an old state of being behind.
- Sau khóa tu, anh ấy cảm thấy như được thoát xác. (After the retreat, he felt as if he had been reborn / had shed his old self.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lột xác (v): This is a more common and direct synonym for the biological process of molting. It can also be used figuratively for transformation.
- Tôm lột xác để lớn. (Shrimp molt to grow.)
Synonyms
- To molt / to slough: (for animals shedding skin).
- To shed one's skin: (literal and figurative).
- To be disembodied: (for the spirit leaving the body).
Related Idioms
- Thoát xác đầu thai: To be reincarnated; to leave one body and be reborn into another.
- Quan niệm về thoát xác đầu thai. (The concept of reincarnation.)