chết yểu
Definition
- Adjective:
- To die young: Describes a person or living being who dies at a very young age, before reaching maturity or a normal life expectancy. It carries a connotation of tragedy and unfulfilled potential.
- To be short-lived: Can be used metaphorically to describe something (e.g., a project, trend, institution) that ends or fails very quickly after its beginning.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đứa trẻ ấy đã chết yểu vì bệnh hiểm nghèo. (That child died young from a serious illness.)
- Anh trai tôi chết yểu trong một tai nạn. (My older brother died young in an accident.)
- Dự án đầy hứa hẹn cuối cùng lại chết yểu vì thiếu kinh phí. (The promising project ultimately was short-lived due to a lack of funding.)
Advanced Usage
- "Số chết yểu": A fatalistic or superstitious phrase meaning "to have the fate/destiny of dying young."
- Người ta bảo nó mang số chết yểu. (People say he is fated to die young.)
Variants and Related Words
- Yểu mệnh / Yểu tử (Literary/Formal): These are more formal or literary synonyms with the same meaning: to die young, to have a premature death.
- Một tài năng yểu mệnh. (A talent who died young.)
- Chết non: Specifically refers to dying at birth or shortly after (stillbirth, neonatal death). While related, it is more specific than "chết yểu."
- Đoản mệnh / Đoản thọ (Literary): Short-lived, having a short lifespan.
Synonyms
- Qua đời sớm / Mất sớm: To pass away early. These are more neutral, less tragic-sounding phrases.
- Tử vong khi còn trẻ: To suffer mortality while still young (more clinical).
Related Idioms
- "Chết yểu như Trương Chi": An idiom referencing a tragic folktale figure, used to emphasize a particularly sad or untimely death.
- Mối tình đầu của họ chết yểu như Trương Chi. (Their first love died a tragically early death.)
- "Không làm nên cơm cháo gì" / "Không nên cơm cháo gì": (Informal, somewhat crude) Literally "to not amount to any rice or porridge," meaning to die before achieving anything or to be useless. This can sometimes be used in a similar, though much harsher, context to "chết yểu."