cố nhân

Thân thiện

Hai người bạn già ngồi đối ẩm và trò chuyện thân mật bên bàn trà dưới gốc cây cổ thụ để gặp lại cố nhân.

Definition

Noun: 1. An old friend; a former acquaintance: A person one knew well or was familiar with in the past. This meaning emphasizes a shared history and past connection, which may or may not be close. 2. An old flame; a former lover: A person with whom one had a romantic relationship in the past. This meaning carries a stronger emotional and often nostalgic or sentimental connotation.

Usage Examples

• (After ten years, I accidentally met an old friend in the old quarter.)
• (That poem speaks of longing for a past love.)
• (Meeting an old acquaintance in a crowded place, my heart felt an indescribable flutter.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in literary, poetic, or formal contexts. It is less common in everyday spoken Vietnamese, where "bạn cũ" (old friend) or "người yêu cũ" (old lover) are more typical.
• It inherently evokes a sense of nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time. The encounter with a "cố nhân" often triggers reflection on the past.

Variants and Related Words

• Bạn cũ (n): Old friend. (A more common, neutral term for a friend from the past.)
• Người quen cũ (n): Old acquaintance.
• Tình cũ (n): Old flame, ex-lover. (A more direct and common term for a former romantic partner.)

Synonyms

• Old friend
• Former acquaintance
• Old flame
• Past love

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Cố nhân nan phùng / Cố nhân nan ngộ: An idiom meaning "Old friends are hard to meet again," highlighting the rarity and preciousness of reuniting with someone from one's past.
  • "Cố nhân nan phùng," cuộc gặp gỡ hôm nay thật đáng quý. ("Old friends are hard to meet again," today's reunion is truly precious.)

Học thuật

noun

1. Old friend; old flame