ốc mượn hồn
Definition
- Noun:
- Hermit crab: A small crustacean that does not have a hard shell of its own. To protect its soft abdomen, it lives inside the empty shell of a dead sea snail (gastropod), carrying it around and changing shells as it grows.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Những chú ốc mượn hồn thường tranh giành vỏ ốc với nhau. (Hermit crabs often fight over snail shells with each other.)
- Trên bãi biển, tôi thấy một con ốc mượn hồn đang di chuyển. (On the beach, I saw a hermit crab moving.)
- Ốc mượn hồn cần tìm vỏ mới khi nó lớn hơn. (A hermit crab needs to find a new shell when it grows bigger.)
Advanced Usage
- The name "ốc mượn hồn" is a poetic and descriptive compound noun in Vietnamese. It translates literally as "snail that borrows a soul/spirit," vividly describing the creature's habit of inhabiting a "borrowed" home (the shell). This term is more evocative than the direct translation "hermit crab."
Variants and Related Words
- Cua ẩn sĩ (n): A less common, more scientific synonym for "hermit crab," meaning "hermit crab."
- Ốc (n): Snail or seashell (gastropod).
- Cua (n): Crab.
Synonyms
- Hermit crab: The standard English term.
- Paguroid: The scientific superfamily name for hermit crabs.
Related Idioms
- Như ốc mượn hồn: (To be/live) like a hermit crab. This idiom describes someone who lives in a borrowed or temporary place, has no permanent home of their own, or lacks a solid foundation.
- Cứ chuyển nhà thuê hoài, cảm giác như ốc mượn hồn vậy. (Moving between rented houses all the time, it feels like being a hermit crab.)