Definition

1. Noun:
   • Late night watch / The last watch of the night: A traditional timekeeping term referring to the final period of the night, just before dawn. It is one of the five traditional night watches ("canh") in ancient Vietnam.
   • The late night / The small hours: More generally, it can poetically refer to the deep, quiet hours of the night.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tiếng gà gáy báo hiệu canh tà. (The rooster's crow signaled the end of the night watch.)
  • Ông ấy thường thức đến canh tà để đọc sách. (He often stays awake until the small hours to read books.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily literary or historical, evoking a sense of a quiet, ancient time. It is not used in modern, practical timekeeping.

Variants and Related Words

• Canh (n): A watch (a period of the night). Traditionally, the night was divided into five watches (canh).
• Canh năm: The fifth watch, synonymous with "canh tà," meaning the last watch before morning.

Synonyms

• The small hours: The early hours of the morning, after midnight.
• Before dawn: The period immediately preceding sunrise.
• The dead of night: The middle of the night when it is very quiet and dark.

Related Idioms

• Thức tới canh tà: To stay up until the late hours of the night.
  • Nhà thơ thường thức tới canh tà để sáng tác. (Poets often stay up until the dead of night to compose.)