Definition

Noun: - Cemetery; graveyard; burial ground: A piece of land, often in a field or open area, where many graves are located. It typically refers to an older, less formally organized burial site compared to a modern, managed cemetery (nghĩa trang).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Khu rừng nhỏ đó từng là một bãi tha ma cổ. (That small forest was once an old burial ground.)
  • Người ta nói bãi tha ma ấy có ma. (They say that graveyard is haunted.)
  • Những ngôi mộ trong bãi tha ma đã bị lãng quên. (The graves in the cemetery have been forgotten.)

Advanced Usage

• Cultural/Historical Context: The term "bãi tha ma" often carries a connotation of being an ancient, abandoned, or eerie field of graves, sometimes associated with folklore or ghost stories. It is less formal than "nghĩa trang".
  • Truyền thuyết kể rằng linh hồn trong bãi tha ma vẫn còn lang thang. (Legends say the souls in the burial ground still wander.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghĩa trang (n): Cemetery. This is the more common, neutral, and modern term for a burial ground, often implying a managed and designated area.
• Mộ địa (n): Burial site; graveyard. A more formal or literary term.
• Nghĩa địa (n): Graveyard; burial ground. Similar to "nghĩa trang".

Synonyms

• Graveyard: A burial ground, typically adjoining a church.
• Burial ground: A general term for an area of land where dead bodies are buried.
• Churchyard: A graveyard surrounding a church.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Vắng như bãi tha ma: As deserted/empty as a graveyard. An idiom used to describe a place that is completely empty or devoid of people.
  • Con đường sau nửa đêm vắng như bãi tha ma. (The street after midnight is as deserted as a graveyard.)

noun

1. cematary; churchgard; burial ground