Definition

1. Noun (Literary, Archaic):
   • Tear, teardrop: A single drop of liquid that falls from the eye when crying, often used in poetic or classical Vietnamese literature to evoke beauty, sorrow, or preciousness.
   • Pearl-like drop: Literally "pearl drop," this term metaphorically compares tears to precious pearls, emphasizing their value or the beauty of sadness.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nàng khóc, những giọt châu lăn dài trên má. (She cried, teardrops rolled down her cheeks.)
  • Thơ xưa thường ví đôi mắt đẹp với những giọt châu long lanh. (Ancient poetry often compared beautiful eyes to glistening pearls/teardrops.)

Advanced Usage

• "giọt châu rơi": (teardrops fall) A poetic phrase describing the act of crying.
  • Nghe tin buồn, nàng chỉ biết để mặc cho giọt châu rơi. (Hearing the sad news, she could only let the teardrops fall.)
• "giọt châu ngọc": (pearl and jewel drops) An intensified, even more poetic variant emphasizing extreme preciousness and beauty, often of tears.
  • Lời chia tay khiến bao giọt châu ngọc tuôn rơi. (The farewell caused many precious teardrops to stream down.)

Variants and Related Words

• Giọt lệ (n): Tear, teardrop. This is the standard, modern term for "tear."
  • Cô ấy lau đi giọt lệ. (She wiped away a tear.)
• Nước mắt (n): Tears (as a substance or in a general sense).
  • Đừng rơi nước mắt vì chuyện đó. (Don't shed tears over that matter.)
• Châu (n, literary): Pearl; also used poetically to mean "teardrop" or "precious drop."
  • Hạt châu (a pearl/ a precious drop)

Synonyms

• Giọt lệ: Tear, teardrop (the direct synonym without the poetic "pearl" metaphor).
• Nước mắt: Tears.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Ngọc châu": Pearls and jewels; a term for precious gems, sometimes used in parallel with giọt châu in poetry.
  • Giọt châu ngọc châu (a poetic pairing meaning "precious teardrops").
• "Mưa giọt châu": (rain of pearl-drops) A highly poetic description of heavy crying.
  • Nỗi đau ấy như một cơn mưa giọt châu. (That pain was like a rain of teardrops.)

1. (văn chương, từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) Tear-drops, tears