chí tái, chí tam
Definition
- Idiom:
- Repeatedly; again and again: A classical Vietnamese idiom derived from Literary Chinese, meaning something happens a second or even a third time. It emphasizes repetition, persistence, or recurrence, often of an action or event.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Lời cảnh báo đã được nhắc đi nhắc lại, chí tái, chí tam. (The warning has been reiterated, again and again.)
- Hắn thất bại nhưng vẫn cố gắng chí tái, chí tam. (He failed but kept trying repeatedly.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is formal and literary, often found in written texts, speeches, or proverbial sayings rather than casual conversation. It conveys a sense of deliberate and perhaps excessive repetition.
Variants and Related Words
Lặp đi lặp lại (v): to repeat over and over. This is the modern, common equivalent.
- Cô ấy lặp đi lặp lại câu hỏi đó. (She repeated that question over and over.)
Nhiều lần (adv): many times.
- Tôi đã gọi điện cho anh ấy nhiều lần. (I called him many times.)
Synonyms
- Repeatedly: done many times.
- Again and again: with frequent repetition.
- Persistently: continuing steadfastly.
Related Idioms
- Có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim: Where there's persistence, there's success. This proverb shares the thematic idea of repeated effort highlighted by "chí tái, chí tam."
- Hãy kiên nhẫn, có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim. (Be patient; where there's persistence, there's success.)