đọi đèn
Definition
- Noun (Archaic):
- Oil lamp bowl / lamp saucer: A small, shallow bowl or dish, typically made of ceramic or metal, that was used to hold oil and a wick in a simple, traditional oil lamp. It refers specifically to the fuel reservoir component.
- Metaphor for a trivial or insignificant amount: Used figuratively to denote a very small quantity, especially of a liquid, akin to "a drop in the bucket."
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chiếc đọi đèn bằng sứ vẫn còn trên bàn thờ. (The porcelain oil lamp bowl is still on the altar.)
- Tranh cãi đó chẳng khác nào chết đuối đọi đèn. (That argument is like drowning in a spoonful of water.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase "chết đuối đọi đèn" is an idiom meaning "to drown in a lamp bowl." It is used to describe making a catastrophic failure or meeting disaster over an extremely trivial matter, equivalent to the English idiom "to drown in a teacup" or "to make a mountain out of a molehill."
- Anh ấy lo lắng thái quá, đúng là chết đuối đọi đèn. (He worries excessively; it's truly a storm in a teacup.)
Variants and Related Words
Đèn dầu (n): oil lamp. The complete lamp for which an "đọi đèn" is a part.
- Ánh sáng từ chiếc đèn dầu thật ấm áp. (The light from the oil lamp is very warm.)
Chén (n): bowl, cup. A more common and general modern word for a bowl.
- Cô ấy đựng canh trong một cái chén. (She put the soup in a bowl.)
Synonyms
- Lamp reservoir: The part of a lamp that holds fuel.
- Trifle: A thing of little value or importance (for the metaphorical sense).
Related Idioms
- Chết đuối đọi đèn: To drown in a lamp bowl; to suffer a major failure over a minor issue.
- Việc nhỏ thế mà cậu không giải quyết được, đúng là chết đuối đọi đèn. (You can't handle such a small thing; it's like drowning in a thimbleful of water.)