Definition

1. Noun:
   • Big waves, turbulent waves: "ba đào" literally means large, surging waves, often used to describe the powerful and tumultuous movement of the sea.
   • Ups and downs, vicissitudes: Figuratively, it refers to the unpredictable changes, difficulties, and turbulent periods in life or events.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sóng ba đào vỗ mạnh vào bờ. (The big waves crashed powerfully against the shore.)
  • Cuộc đời ông ấy trải qua nhiều ba đào. (His life has gone through many ups and downs.)

Advanced Usage

• "sóng ba đào": This phrase directly uses the literal meaning, emphasizing large, stormy waves.

  • Con thuyền nhỏ chống chọi với sóng ba đào. (The small boat struggled against the stormy waves.)

• "nổi trôi ba đào": This idiom describes a life or situation that is adrift, unstable, and full of hardships.

  • Kiếp người nổi trôi ba đào. (A human life adrift in turbulent waters.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gian truân (adj/n): Hardships, tribulations. This is a close synonym for the figurative meaning of "ba đào".

  • Anh ấy đã vượt qua bao gian truân. (He has overcome so many hardships.)

• Thăng trầm (n): Vicissitudes, ups and downs. This word is commonly used in modern Vietnamese with a meaning very similar to the figurative sense of "ba đào".

  • Những thăng trầm của thị trường chứng khoán. (The ups and downs of the stock market.)

Synonyms

• Bão tố (n): Storm. Can be used figuratively for turbulent times.
• Phong ba (n): Wind and waves, storm. Often used in idioms to describe life's challenges (e.g., "phong ba bão táp").

Related Idioms

• "ba đào sóng gió": This idiom intensifies the meaning, combining "ba đào" (big waves) with "sóng gió" (wind and waves) to describe extreme turbulence and hardship.

  • Một cuộc sống đầy ba đào sóng gió. (A life full of storms and tribulations.)

• "lênh đênh ba đào": Describes a state of floating or drifting precariously on turbulent waters, metaphorically for an unstable, uncertain life.

  • Số phận lênh đênh ba đào. (A fate drifting on turbulent waves.)

noun

1. Big wave, ups and downs
   • cuộc đời ba đào
     A stormy life, a life full of ups and downs