Definition

Noun: * The past; bygone times; former times: Refers to a time that has already passed, often with a sense of nostalgia or reflection on what is gone.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy luôn sống trong dĩ vãng. (He always lives in the past.)
  • Những kỷ niệm đẹp đã trở thành dĩ vãng. (The beautiful memories have become the past.)
  • Chúng ta không nên để dĩ vãng ảnh hưởng đến tương lai. (We should not let the past affect the future.)

Advanced Usage

• "lùi vào dĩ vãng": to recede/fade into the past; to become a thing of the past.
  • Những khó khăn năm xưa giờ đã lùi vào dĩ vãng. (The difficulties of yesteryear have now faded into the past.)
• "nhớ lại dĩ vãng" / "hoài niệm về dĩ vãng": to reminisce about the past; to recall bygone times.
  • Ông cụ thích ngồi nhớ lại dĩ vãng. (The old man likes to sit and reminisce about the past.)

Variants and Related Words

• Quá khứ (noun): The past. This is a more common, neutral synonym for "dĩ vãng".
• Dĩ nhiên (adverb): Of course; naturally. (Note: This is a completely different word, sharing only the character "dĩ". It is included here to avoid confusion).

Synonyms

• Quá khứ: the past.
• Thời đã qua: times that have passed.
• Ngày xưa / Ngày trước: former days; the old days.

Notes on Meaning

• "Dĩ vãng" vs. "Quá khứ": While both mean "the past", "dĩ vãng" often carries a more literary, nostalgic, or reflective tone. "Quá khứ" is the standard, all-purpose term. "Dĩ vãng" is commonly used in written language, literature, and formal speech.

noun

1. the past; former times
   • nhớ lại dĩ vãng
     to go back to the past