Definition

1. Noun:
   • Stages on the road traversed; past stage: Refers to the distinct phases, segments, or periods one has gone through in life or in a long-term process, often implying a journey with its challenges and experiences.
   • Path; course; journey: Denotes the figurative road or route one's life or endeavors have taken.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy thường kể về những bước đường gian khổ thời trẻ. (He often tells of the difficult stages of his youth.)
  • Nhìn lại bước đường đã qua, cô ấy cảm thấy tự hào. (Looking back on the path she has traveled, she feels proud.)
  • Họ bị dồn đến bước đường cùng. (They were forced into a dead end.)

Advanced Usage

• "bước đường cùng": a dead end; an impasse; a point of no return. This is a fixed phrase indicating a situation with no escape or solution.
  • Công ty đó đã đến bước đường cùng và phải phá sản. (That company reached a dead end and had to declare bankruptcy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đoạn đường (n): a segment of a road; a leg of a journey.

  • Đây là đoạn đường nguy hiểm nhất. (This is the most dangerous stretch of road.)

• Hành trình (n): journey; voyage.

  • Hành trình vạn dặm bắt đầu từ một bước chân. (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.)

Synonyms

• Stage: a distinct period or phase in a process.
• Phase: a distinct period in a process of change.
• Path: the course along which someone or something moves.
• Journey: an act of traveling from one place to another, often used metaphorically.

Related Idioms

• Bước đường cùng: See "Advanced Usage" above. This is the primary idiom associated with the term.
• Mỗi bước đường: every step of the way; at each stage.
  • Người bạn ấy đã đồng hành cùng tôi mỗi bước đường. (That friend has accompanied me every step of the way.)

1. Stages on the road traversed, past stage