chén quan hà
Definition
- Noun:
- A farewell cup, a parting cup: "chén quan hà" is a classical Vietnamese literary idiom referring to the act of drinking a final cup of wine or liquor as a farewell gesture before a long separation, often evoking a sense of melancholy and nostalgia. It originates from classical Sino-Vietnamese poetry and literature.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Tiễn đưa một chén quan hà, lệ rơi thấm áo, biệt ly khôn lường. (To bid farewell with a parting cup, tears soak the robe, the parting is beyond measure.)
- Trong thơ cổ, cảnh chia ly thường gắn với hình ảnh chén quan hà. (In ancient poetry, scenes of separation are often associated with the image of the farewell cup.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is almost exclusively used in a literary, poetic, or highly formal rhetorical context to evoke classical imagery and deep emotion. It is not used in everyday modern conversation.
- It often appears in contexts describing the sorrow of parting, journeys, or the passage of time.
Variants and Related Words
- Chén biệt (n): Another literary term for a farewell drink.
- Chén rượu tiễn đưa (n): A more descriptive, modern phrasing meaning "a farewell wine cup".
Synonyms
- Ly rượu chia tay: Farewell drink (modern, less literary).
- Chén tiễn biệt: Parting cup (literary).
Related Idioms
- While "chén quan hà" itself is an idiomatic expression, it is sometimes part of larger poetic constructions describing separation.
- Cạn chén quan hà: To drain the farewell cup, emphasizing the finality of the act.