Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Veteran; long-standing; of many years: Describes a person who has spent a very long time, often the majority of their life, in a particular profession, trade, or activity, implying deep experience and seniority.
   • Lifelong; lasting a whole lifetime: Refers to something that spans or characterizes an entire human life.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông ấy là một thợ mộc già đời. (He is a veteran carpenter.)
  • Bà ấy già đời làm nghề dạy học. (She has been a teacher for many years of her life.)
  • Đó là chuyện già đời rồi, ít người còn nhớ. (That's an old story from long ago, few people remember.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to emphasize the length and depth of experience, often with a tone of respect or to indicate something is very established or ancient.
  • Chiếc máy khâu già đời đó vẫn chạy tốt. (That ancient sewing machine still runs well.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cả đời (phrase): whole life, all one's life.

  • Ông ấy cả đời hi sinh vì gia đình. (He sacrificed his whole life for his family.)

• Lão làng (adjective): seasoned, old-hand (specifically emphasizes skill and experience from long practice).

  • Anh ấy là một tay chơi cờ lão làng. (He is a seasoned chess player.)

Synonyms

• Veteran: Having long experience in a particular field.
• Lifelong: Lasting for the whole of a person's life.
• Long-standing: Having existed for a long time.

Related Idioms

• Già đời già kệ: An idiom suggesting something or someone is very old, outdated, or set in their ways.
  • Cái máy tính già đời già kệ ấy chẳng dùng được vào việc gì. (That ancient, outdated computer is useless for anything.)

1. For many years of one's life, for one's whole life
   • Già đời làm thợ
     To have been a worker for many years of one's life, to be a veteran worker