Definition

Noun: 1. Fairy tale; folktale; legend: A traditional story, typically for children, involving magical beings, creatures, or events, and often conveying a moral lesson. It refers to the genre or an individual story of this type. 2. Historical vestige; ancient relic: An object, building, or site from the distant past that has survived to the present day, often of historical or cultural significance.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Fairy tale):
  • Bà ngoại thường kể cho tôi nghe những câu chuyện cổ tích trước khi đi ngủ. (My grandmother often told me fairy tales before bed.)
  • "Cô bé Lọ Lem" là một cổ tích nổi tiếng trên toàn thế giới. ("Cinderella" is a famous fairy tale known worldwide.)
• Noun (Historical vestige):
  • Thành phố này có rất nhiều cổ tích từ thời phong kiến. (This city has many historical vestiges from the feudal era.)
  • Nhóm khảo cổ đang nghiên cứu các cổ tích được tìm thấy trong ngôi đền cổ. (The archaeology team is studying the ancient relics found in the old temple.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly used and understood in its first meaning (fairy tale). The second meaning (historical vestige) is more formal and literary.
• "truyện cổ tích": This is a very common compound phrase that explicitly means "fairy tale story," reinforcing the first definition. While "cổ tích" alone can mean a tale, "truyện cổ tích" is often used for clarity.
  • Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam rất phong phú. (The treasure trove of Vietnamese fairy tales is very rich.)

Variants and Related Words

• Truyện cổ tích (n): Fairy tale, folktale (the most common specific term).
• Huyền thoại (n): Myth, legend (often with a more epic or foundational scale than a ).
• Tích cũ (n): Old story, tale (a less common synonym).
• Di tích (n): Relic, historical site (a more general and modern term for the second definition).

Synonyms

• Fairy tale: A children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands.
• Folktale: A traditional story passed down orally.
• Legend: A traditional story sometimes regarded as historical but not verifiable.
• Relic: An object surviving from an earlier time, especially of historical interest.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Kết thúc có hậu / Happy ending: A standard feature of most (fairy tales).
  • Giống như trong cổ tích, câu chuyện của họ có một kết thúc có hậu. (Like in a fairy tale, their story had a happy ending.)
• Cổ tích giữa đời thường / A fairy tale in real life: Used to describe an event or situation so wonderfully perfect it seems unreal.
  • Cuộc gặp gỡ của họ như một cổ tích giữa đời thường. (Their meeting was like a fairy tale in real life.)

noun

1. Historical vestiges
   • truyện cổ tích
     A legend; old story