Thôi Hộ

Definition
  1. Proper Noun:
    • Thôi Hộ: The name of a legendary Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty, famously associated with a single surviving poem. He is not a historically verified figure but a central character in a well-known literary anecdote about lost love and the passage of time.
Usage Examples
  • Proper Noun:
    • Bài thơ duy nhất được cho là của Thôi Hộ là "Đề đô thành nam trang". (The only poem attributed to Thôi Hộ is "Inscribed on the Door of a Village South of the Capital.")
    • Câu chuyện về Thôi Hộ và người thiếu nữ đã trở thành một giai thoại nổi tiếng. (The story of Thôi Hộ and the maiden has become a famous anecdote.)
Advanced Usage
  • The name Thôi Hộ is almost exclusively used in reference to the literary legend and his poem. The phrase "Thôi Hộ" itself can evoke themes of nostalgia, fleeting beauty, and unrequited or lost love.
    • Tác phẩm đó mang chút không khí hoài cổ giống như trong thơ Thôi Hộ. (That work carries a nostalgic air similar to that in Thôi Hộ's poetry.)
Cultural and Literary Context
  • The Legend of Thôi Hộ: According to the tale, Thôi Hộ visited the capital and encountered a beautiful young woman. The next year, he returned but found only a locked door, inspiring his famous poem. This story is the origin of the Vietnamese literary allusion "Hoa đào năm ngoái còn cười gió đông" (Last year's peach blossoms still smiled in the east wind), symbolizing something beautiful and lost to time.
  • The Poem: The poem attributed to him expresses sorrow over the girl's absence, with the peach blossoms serving as a metaphor for her vanished beauty.
Related Phrases and Allusions
  • "Hoa đào năm ngoái" (Last year's peach blossoms): A direct allusion to the Thôi Hộ legend, commonly used in Vietnamese poetry and prose to denote a beautiful past that is gone and cannot be reclaimed.
    • Tình cảm của họ giờ chỉ còn là "hoa đào năm ngoái". (Their affection is now just "last year's peach blossoms.")
Synonyms
  • The Tang Poet: A generic reference when the context is clear.
  • The Poet of the Peach Blossoms: A descriptive synonym highlighting the central image of his legend.