bậc thềm
Definition
- Noun:
- Step (of a doorstep or porch): A single, flat, raised surface that forms part of a short series leading up to the entrance of a building, typically a house. It is the physical step before a door.
- Doorstep / Threshold (as a structure): Refers to the short flight of steps or the single step immediately outside an entrance door. It often implies the transitional area between the outside and the inside of a home.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Cô ấy ngồi trên bậc thềm nhà, đợi bố mẹ về. (She sat on the house's doorstep, waiting for her parents to return.)
- Đứa trẻ vừa học cách lên xuống bậc thềm. (The child just learned how to go up and down the front steps.)
- Họ để giày ở ngoài bậc thềm. (They leave their shoes outside on the step.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "bậc thềm" often carries a connotation of home, arrival, or departure. It is a common setting in narratives for moments of waiting, contemplation, or greeting.
- It can be used metaphorically to signify the point of entry or beginning of something.
- Đứng trước bậc thềm của một kỷ nguyên mới. (Standing on the threshold of a new era.)
Variants and Related Words
- Thềm (n): The platform or porch area immediately in front of a door, often where the steps ("bậc") are located.
- Mọi người tụ tập trước thềm nhà. (People gathered on the house's front porch.)
- Bậc cửa (n): A less common synonym, specifically meaning the step at the door.
- Bậc tam cấp (n): Refers to the traditional set of three steps leading to the main entrance of a building, especially in older Vietnamese architecture.
Synonyms
- Doorstep: The step or area just outside a door.
- Threshold: The point of entry; can refer to the step or the entrance itself.
- Step (front step): A single flat surface in a series for ascending or descending.
Related Idioms and Expressions
- Trước bậc thềm: Literally "before the doorstep," meaning on the verge of something, often an important event or change.
- Dự án đang đứng trước bậc thềm của sự thành công. (The project is on the threshold of success.)
- Ngồi bậc thềm: A common, simple image of daily life, implying a moment of rest, observation, or waiting at home.