Definition

1. Noun:
   • The Penglai Immortal Realm: A mythical paradise in Chinese and Vietnamese folklore, often depicted as a mystical island or mountain where immortals reside, free from suffering and the passage of time. It represents an ideal, utopian world of eternal bliss and beauty.
   • A fairyland / a utopia: Used metaphorically to describe any place or situation of exquisite beauty, perfect peace, and happiness, seemingly detached from the ordinary world.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Phong cảnh nơi đây đẹp như bồng lai tiên cảnh. (The scenery here is as beautiful as the Penglai Immortal Realm.)
  • Cô ấy tưởng tượng mình đang sống trong bồng lai tiên cảnh. (She imagined herself living in a fairyland.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in literary and poetic contexts to evoke a sense of transcendent beauty and unreachable perfection. It can describe real-world locations of stunning natural beauty that feel otherworldly.

Variants and Related Words

• Bồng lai (n): A shortened form, also meaning Penglai, the mythical paradise.
  • Giấc mơ về chốn bồng lai. (A dream of the land of Penglai.)

Synonyms

• Utopia: An imagined place of ideal perfection.
• Paradise: A place of supreme happiness and beauty.
• Fairyland: An enchanted, magical place.
• Shangri-La: A remote, idyllic hideaway of peace and beauty.

Related Idioms

• Chốn bồng lai: Literally "the place of Penglai," used poetically to mean a heavenly or paradisiacal place.
  • Tìm về chốn bồng lai để quên hết ưu phiền. (To return to the land of Penglai to forget all worries.)

1. như bồng lai