phùng mang trợn mắt

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Gills puffed and eyes bulging — straining far past one's strength.

Literally: flare the gills, goggle the eyes

Examples

Phùng mang trợn mắt khiêng cái tủ lên gác.Gills puffed, eyes bulging, hauling that wardrobe upstairs.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Tục ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “phùng mang trợn mắt” mean?

Gills puffed and eyes bulging — straining far past one's strength. Literally: flare the gills, goggle the eyes

Is “phùng mang trợn mắt” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.