Definition

1. Adverb:
   • For so long, since that long: Indicates a period of time extending from a point in the past up to the present moment, emphasizing the considerable duration of that period.

Usage

• "Bấy lâu" is used to describe a state or action that has been ongoing for a very long time up to now. It often carries a nuance of feeling that the duration has been extensive or even too long. It is commonly used in both spoken and written Vietnamese, often in slightly literary or emotional contexts.
• It typically modifies verbs or entire clauses to emphasize the length of time.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Chờ đợi bấy lâu, cuối cùng anh ấy cũng trở về. (Having waited for so long, he finally returned.)
  • Bấy lâu tôi vẫn tin tưởng vào cô ấy. (For so long, I have still trusted her.)
  • Công sức bấy lâu nay của anh đã được đền đáp. (Your efforts for all this time have now been rewarded.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bấy lâu nay": This is a common reinforced form, where "nay" (now) is added to make "for all this time until now" even more explicit.
  • Bấy lâu nay anh sống ở đâu? (Where have you been living all this time?)
• "Bấy lâu mới...": A structure used to express that after a very long wait, something finally happens. It often implies rarity or preciousness.
  • Bấy lâu mới được gặp lại bạn cũ. (It's been so long since I last met an old friend. / I finally got to meet an old friend after so long.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lâu nay (adv): Lately, for a while now. (Less emphatic on the extreme length compared to "bấy lâu").
• Bao lâu (interrogative phrase): How long? (Used to ask about duration).
• Đã lâu (phrase): For a long time (has been). (Describes a state that started long ago).

Synonyms

• Lâu rồi: For a long time already.
• Từ lâu: For a long time, since long ago.

Notes on Different Meanings

• "Bấy lâu" primarily functions as a temporal adverb. It does not have other distinct parts of speech or meanings. Its core function is to emphasize a long, continuous period leading to the present.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bấy lâu săn sóc: Having taken care (of someone/thing) for so long.
  • Công ơn bấy lâu săn sóc của mẹ, con không bao giờ quên. (I will never forget the grace of your care for so long, Mother.)
• Bấy lâu đợi chờ: Having waited for so long.
  • Mối tình bấy lâu đợi chờ. (A love that has been waiting for so long.)

1. For so long, since that long
   • chờ đợi bấy lâu
     To wait for so long
   • bấy lâu mới được một dịp
     for so long, there has not been such an opportunity