First, the Chinese character for snake (蛇) is an ancient word that appeared in the oracle bone script of the Shang Dynasty. Originally, this character meant a long, round, scaly animal without claws. Later, it came to refer to a "reptile" ( National Language, Wu Language ) or "snake" ( Hong Ji, Five Elements Treatise ) or as a symbol of the emperor ( Zuo Zhuan by Zuo Qiu Ming of the Spring and Autumn Period).
In China, the character for snake (蛇) is also the name of a star: Snake Riding Dragon (Xāng Chéng Lóng) and Teng Snake - a group of 22 stars ( Jin Shu, Astronomy Treatise ); or the name of a mountain (according to Du Yu during the Western Jin Dynasty). Snake (蛇) is also used to describe "winding movement" ( Shiji, Biography of Su Qin ) or "following a winding path" ( Shui Jing Zhu, Huai Shui ). In dialect, snake means "jellyfish," and another pronunciation is "sá ."
In ancient texts, we also encounter phrases such as: "dreaming of a snake" (referring to the birth of a daughter); "wriggling snake" (moving in a serpentine manner); "crawling on the ground like a snake" (referring to fearful behavior); "snake tongue" (referring to malicious words); or "snake sting " (referring to a wicked person)...
In addition, there are other Sino-Vietnamese words that also call " xà ," for example: xà (鉈: short-handled spear); xà (闍: platform on the city gate); xà (揲: counting and dividing yarrow stalks for divination) or words transliterated from Sanskrit: xà lê (闍梨: monk); a xà lê (阿闍梨: monk) - Sino-Vietnamese Dictionary .
In the Nôm script system, xà (柁) means "a horizontal bar attached to the two ends of a column, used to support the roof" or xà (蛇) in xà cáp (pants worn around the legs), xà tích (sausage-shaped jewelry). There are also xà xéo (to trim); xà ngầu (disorder); xà beng (lever). In botany, xà appears in xà ma (a substance used in brewing alcohol); xà mai (strawberry); xà căn thảo (devil pepper).
In terms of modern Vietnamese, the word "xà " commonly means snake, as recorded in J.M.J.'s Annamite-French Dictionary , published in 1877, p. 886. This dictionary also mentions words rarely used today such as: "cá xà" (squale, chien de mer), meaning shark or anglerfish; "xà cho mạt kiếp" (opprimer), meaning "oppression, suffocation, suppression"; "xà búp " (triden de pêche), meaning a spear used for spearing fish. Furthermore, Nguyễn Như Ý's Great Vietnamese Dictionary explains "xà búp" as "young bud" ( a plant with newly formed buds ) or "stubborn, headstrong" ( That "xà búp" fellow doesn't know fear of anyone ). There are also words like " cây xà mai" (le fraisier) and "l'autruche" ( l'autruche) in P.G. Vallot's Petit Dictionnaire Annamite-Français (1904).
In general, besides the Nôm script words for "snake" and transliterated words like "xà bông" ( sabão - Portuguese) or "xà lim" (cellule - French)..., Vietnamese also has words of Chinese origin, stemming from the phonetic system of the Tang Dynasty, which entered Vietnamese around the end of the 10th century. These include idioms and proverbs, such as: "hổ đầu xà vĩ" (tiger's head, snake's tail), referring to a strong beginning but a weak ending, or "đả xà đả thất thốn" (snake striking at its weak point), meaning that when striking a snake, one must strike its weak point ( thất thốn ), a metaphor for grasping the key, the crucial element to successfully accomplishing something.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lat-leo-chu-nghia-nam-con-ran-ban-chu-xa-185250207201821709.htm
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