đáy bề mò kim

Definition

1. Idiom:
   • Looking for a needle in a haystack: A figurative expression describing the attempt to do something extremely difficult, nearly impossible, or requiring immense effort and patience, due to the sheer unlikelihood of success or the tiny target within a vast search area.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Tìm lại chiếc nhẫn cũ trong khu rừng này chẳng khác nào đáy bề mò kim. (Looking for the old ring in this forest is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.)
  • Xác định lỗi trong đoạn mã này tựa như đáy bề mò kim. (Identifying the bug in this code is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.)

Advanced Usage

• The idiom is used to emphasize futility, extreme difficulty, or the disproportionate effort required for a task. It often implies that the search is for something very small, valuable, or specific within a large, confusing, or cluttered context.

Variants and Related Words

• Mò kim đáy bể: A common variant with the same meaning and word order as the English equivalent "looking for a needle in a haystack."
  • Công việc của nhà khảo cổ đôi khi giống như mò kim đáy bể. (The work of an archaeologist is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack.)

Synonyms

• A futile search: A search that is hopeless or useless.
• A near-impossible task: A task that is extremely unlikely to be accomplished.

Related Idioms

• Mò trăng đáy nước: To chase the moon at the bottom of the water; to pursue an illusion or something unattainable.
  • Hy vọng thuyết phục họ là mò trăng đáy nước. (Hoping to persuade them is like chasing the moon at the bottom of the water.)