lốt

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Old Chinese 蛻 (OC *l̥ˤot-s) (B-S) (SV: thuế).[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

lốt • (𧙻, 𪻃)

  1. (zoology) shed or molted skin; slough
    rắn thay lốt
    a snake molting/shedding
  2. (figurative) a guise (cover; cloak) or a disguise (attire to hide/assume an identity; that which masks what's beneath)
    sói đội lốt cừu
    a wolf in sheep's clothing
    Gà lôi đội lốt con công,
    Tưởng rằng mình ngộ đi dông đi dài.
    Gặp công xốc lại nhập bầy,
    Công đá xể mặt trầy mày đuổi đi.
    A pheasant pretended to be a peacock,
    He assured himself he could keep passing for the rest of his life.
    That was, until he tried to join a flock of actual peafowls.
    They beat him to a pulp and kicked him to the curb.

See also

References
  1. Baxter, W. H. & Sagart, L. (2014) Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 115
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