đồng niên
Definition
- Adjective:
- Of the same age: Refers to two or more people who were born in the same year and are therefore the same age.
- Having passed the same imperial examination: A historical and literary term referring to individuals who passed the same national civil service examination (khoa thi) under the Vietnamese feudal dynasties, creating a lifelong bond.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Họ là bạn đồng niên, cùng sinh năm 1990. (They are friends of the same age, both born in 1990.)
- Các vị quan đồng niên thường có mối quan hệ thân thiết. (The mandarins who passed the same examination often had a close relationship.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "đồng niên" is formal and is more commonly found in literary, historical, or ceremonial contexts than in everyday conversation. In modern daily speech, "cùng tuổi" (same age) is more frequent for the first meaning.
Variants and Related Words
- Bạn đồng niên (n): A friend of the same age; a contemporary.
- Ông ấy là bạn đồng niên của cha tôi. (He is a contemporary of my father.)
- Đồng khoa (n): A synonym specifically for those who passed the same examination.
- Họ là những người đồng khoa. (They are fellow examination graduates.)
Synonyms
- Cùng tuổi: Of the same age (common, everyday term).
- Bạn cùng lứa: Peer, person from the same generation.
- Đồng khóa: Classmate (in a course); can sometimes overlap in the "examination" meaning.
Related Idioms
- Tình đồng niên: The bond or friendship between people of the same age or, classically, between fellow examination graduates.
- Họ giữ tình đồng niên suốt cuộc đời. (They maintained their bond as fellow graduates throughout their lives.)