cáo mượn oai hùm
Vietnamese
Etymology
Probably a calque of Chinese 狐假虎威 (hồ giả hổ uy); Literally: “the fox exploits the tiger's might”.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [kaːw˧˦ mɨən˧˨ʔ ʔwaːj˧˧ hum˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [kaːw˨˩˦ mɨəŋ˨˩ʔ ʔwaːj˧˧ hum˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [kaːw˦˥ mɨəŋ˨˩˨ (ʔ)waːj˧˧ hʊm˨˩]
Noun
cáo mượn oai hùm
- (idiomatic) to use powerful connections to intimidate people