tốt tay
Definition
- Adjective:
- Skillful and lucky: Describes a person who is both adept at a task and seems to have good fortune in its outcome, often leading to consistently successful results.
- Having a green thumb / a lucky hand: Used particularly in contexts like farming, animal husbandry, or gardening to denote a natural talent that yields prosperous results.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Bà ấy tốt tay nuôi gà, đàn nào cũng mau lớn. (She is skillful and lucky at raising chickens; every flock grows quickly.)
- Muốn cây cảnh đẹp thì phải nhờ người tốt tay. (To have beautiful ornamental plants, you need to ask someone with a green thumb.)
- Anh ấy được coi là thợ tốt tay nhất xưởng. (He is considered the most skillful and successful worker in the workshop.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies an almost innate or natural ability combined with serendipity, rather than just learned skill. It is frequently used in traditional or rural contexts concerning cultivation and care.
Variants and Related Words
- Mát tay (adj): Another common idiom with a very similar meaning, suggesting a "cool hand" that brings success, especially in healing, planting, or business.
- Bác sĩ đó mát tay, bệnh nhân nào cũng khỏe. (That doctor has a healing touch; every patient gets better.)
Synonyms
- Adept: Very skilled or proficient.
- Fortunate: Having good luck.
- Successful: Accomplishing a desired aim or result.
Related Idioms
- Tốt số: Refers to having a good destiny or lucky fate, sharing the connotation of inherent luck found in "tốt tay."
- Ông ấy tốt số nên làm gì cũng thành công. (He has a fortunate destiny, so everything he does succeeds.)