Definition

Noun (literary, archaic): 1. A beautiful woman; a beauty: A poetic and somewhat old-fashioned term used to describe a woman of exceptional physical beauty, often with connotations of being ethereal, delicate, or heavenly, as if her fragrance or essence belongs to the sky/heavens. 2. Heavenly fragrance; celestial scent: The literal meaning of the compound, referring to a divine or extraordinarily beautiful aroma. However, when used as a fixed term, it most commonly refers to a beautiful woman.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong thơ ca cổ, các thi nhân thường ví von người đẹp là "hương trời". (In classical poetry, poets often metaphorically referred to a beauty as a "heavenly fragrance".)
  • Nàng ấy đẹp tựa một đóa hương trời giáng thế. (She is as beautiful as a heavenly fragrance descended to earth.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively found in literary, poetic, or highly stylized contexts. It is not used in everyday modern conversation.
• It carries a strong metaphorical and complimentary sense, elevating the subject's beauty to a divine or natural perfection.

Variants and Related Words

• Mỹ nhân (n): A beauty; a belle. (More common in both classical and modern contexts than ).
• Giai nhân (n): A beautiful person (often female); a belle. (Another classical/literary term).
• Tuyệt sắc (n/adj): Peerless beauty; breathtakingly beautiful.
• Hương (n): Fragrance, scent. (The root word).
• Trời (n): Sky; heaven. (The root word).

Synonyms

• Người đẹp: Beautiful woman.
• Sắc đẹp: Beauty (as a quality).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Hương sắc: Fragrance and beauty; often used to describe a woman's combined charm and physical attractiveness.
  • Cô ấy là sự kết hợp hoàn hảo của hương sắc. (She is a perfect combination of fragrance and beauty [i.e., charm and looks].)

1. (văn chương,từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) Beautiful woman; beauty