Definition

1. Verb (idiomatic, informal):
   • To have studied or prepared exactly the right material for a test or exam. This phrase describes the fortunate situation where an exam question matches precisely what a student has revised or memorized beforehand.
   • To guess or predict something correctly. It can be extended to situations outside of exams where one's prediction or preparation aligns perfectly with what actually happens.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tôi đã ôn bài kỹ và rất may là đề thi đã trúng tủ. (I revised thoroughly and was very lucky that the exam was exactly what I had prepared for.)
  • Anh ấy dự đoán tình huống chính xác, quả là trúng tủ. (He predicted the situation accurately; it really hit the mark.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase originates from student slang, where "tủ" (literally "cupboard" or "locker") metaphorically refers to the set of topics or questions a student has privately focused on and stored away for revision, hoping they will appear on the exam.

Variants and Related Words

• Trúng đề (v): A more general phrase meaning the exam topic came out as expected or hoped for.
  • Năm nay sinh viên rất vui vì trúng đề. (This year the students are very happy because the exam topic was as expected.)

Synonyms

• To get lucky with the exam questions: A descriptive synonym for the primary meaning.
• To hit the jackpot (in an academic context): Emphasizes the element of luck.
• To predict correctly: A synonym for the extended meaning.

Related Idioms

• Học tủ (v): To study selectively, focusing only on a limited number of topics in the hope they will be on the exam. This is the risky preparation method that leads to "trúng tủ" if successful.
  • Cậu ấy học tủ vài chương thôi, rất nguy hiểm. (He crammed selectively on just a few chapters, which is very risky.)

verb

1. to hit it