Definition

1. Adverb:
   • From that time until now; all this time; for this entire period: "bấy nay" is a literary and somewhat formal word used to indicate a continuous period of time stretching from a specific point in the past (implied or mentioned) up to the present moment. It emphasizes the duration and continuity of a state or action.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Kể đà thiểu não lòng người bấy nay. (How grieved one's heart has been all this time.)
  • Công việc bấy nay vẫn tiến triển tốt. (The work has been progressing well all along.)
  • Anh ấy bấy nay vẫn sống một mình. (He has lived alone all this time.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bấy nay" is primarily used in written Vietnamese, especially in literature, formal writing, or poetic contexts. In everyday spoken language, phrases like "từ đó đến nay" (from then until now), "suốt thời gian qua" (throughout the past time), or "mãi cho đến bây giờ" (up until now) are more common.
• It often carries a reflective or emotional tone, looking back on a prolonged period.

Variants and Related Words

• Bấy lâu (adv): For this long time; all this while. Very similar in meaning and usage to "bấy nay," also literary.
  • Bấy lâu anh vẫn chờ đợi. (He has been waiting all this while.)
• Bấy giờ (adv): At that time; then. Refers to a specific past moment, contrasting with "bấy nay" which refers to the period that time now.
  • Bấy giờ trời đã tối. (At that time, it was already dark.)

Synonyms

• Từ đó đến nay: From then until now.
• Suốt thời gian qua: Throughout the past period.
• Mãi cho đến bây giờ: Right up until now.

Related Phrases

• Cho đến bây giờ: Up until now. (More neutral and common in speech.)
• Từ trước đến nay: From before until now. (Emphasizes a longer, more general past.)

1. From then till now
   • kể đà thiểu não lòng người bấy nay
     how grieved one's heart has been from then till now