Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Then, at that time: "bấy giờ" refers to a specific point in the past that is being discussed or referenced in the context. It indicates a temporal connection to a previously mentioned event or period.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Bấy giờ là năm 1945. (It was 1945 then. / That was the year 1945.)
  • Làm xong việc đó bấy giờ sẽ hay. (Let's get that work done, then we shall see.)
  • Bấy giờ nước ta chưa thống nhất. (At that time, our country was not unified.)
  • Phong tục thời bấy giờ rất khác. (The customs of that time were very different.)

Advanced Usage

• "Thời bấy giờ": This is a common collocation meaning "the period/era of that time." It emphasizes the historical context.
  • Thời bấy giờ, công nghệ chưa phát triển. (In that era, technology was not developed.)
• Used to contrast the past with the present, often in narratives or explanations.
  • Bây giờ tiện nghi hơn nhiều so với bấy giờ. (Now is much more convenient compared to back then.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lúc bấy giờ (phrase): Synonymous with "bấy giờ," meaning "at that moment/time."
  • Lúc bấy giờ, tôi còn rất trẻ. (At that time, I was very young.)
• Khi ấy (phrase): Another synonym for "then, at that time."
• Đương thời (adverb): Means "contemporary to that period" or "in one's time."

Synonyms

• Hồi đó: Back then, in those days (more colloquial).
• Thuở ấy: In that bygone era (more literary or poetic).
• Vào thời điểm đó: At that point in time (more formal).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Bấy giờ bây giờ": This is not a standard idiom. The word "bấy giờ" itself is typically used in fixed temporal phrases like "thời bấy giờ" or "lúc bấy giờ" as shown above.

1. Then, that time
   • bấy giờ là năm 1945
     it was 1945 then, that was the year 1945
   • làm xong việc đó bấy giờ sẽ hay
     let's get that work done, then we shall see