chiếc bách
Definition
- Noun:
- A small boat or skiff: A poetic and literary term for a small, often fragile, watercraft.
- A metaphor for a precarious or drifting fate: Used figuratively to describe a life or situation that is unstable, adrift, or subject to the whims of fortune, evoking a sense of vulnerability.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trên sông, một chiếc bách lặng lẽ trôi. (On the river, a small boat drifts silently.)
- Thân phận nàng như chiếc bách giữa dòng đời. (Her fate is like a small boat adrift in the river of life.)
Advanced Usage
- This word is primarily used in literary, poetic, or formal contexts to create a classical, melancholic, or philosophical tone. It is rarely used in everyday modern conversation to refer to an actual boat.
Variants and Related Words
- Thuyền bách: (Literary, noun) Another term for a small boat or skiff.
- Thuyền bách cập bến. (The skiff docks.)
Synonyms
- Skiff: A small, light boat.
- Dinghy: A small boat.
- Craft: (Literary) A boat or ship.
Related Idioms
- Chiếc bách lênh đênh: Literally "a drifting skiff"; a common metaphorical phrase meaning a precarious, unstable, or rootless existence.
- Cuộc đời ông ấy như chiếc bách lênh đênh. (His life is like a drifting skiff.)