Definition

Proper Noun: - Phoebe, the Moon Goddess: In Vietnamese literary and poetic context, 'Hằng Nga' refers to the goddess of the Moon in mythology, often depicted as a beautiful woman living in the Moon Palace. The term is used poetically to denote the moon itself. - The Moon (poetic): Used as a lyrical and elegant synonym for the moon.

Usage Examples

• Proper Noun:
  • Truyền thuyết kể rằng Hằng Nga sống trên cung trăng. (Legend says that Hằng Nga lives in the Moon Palace.)
  • Ánh sáng của Hằng Nga chiếu xuống mặt hồ. (The light of Hằng Nga shone down on the lake surface.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chị Hằng": A more familiar, personifying, and slightly less formal term for the moon goddess, often used in folk contexts or Mid-Autumn Festival themes.
  • Trẻ em rước đèn ông sao đón chị Hằng. (Children carry star lanterns to welcome "Sister" Hằng [the Moon].)

Variants and Related Words

• Cung trăng / Cung Quảng: The Moon Palace, the celestial abode of Hằng Nga.
• Hằng: A shortened, highly poetic form sometimes used in classical poetry to refer to the moon or the goddess.
• Ánh trăng: Moonlight (a common term, not a direct variant but frequently associated).

Synonyms

• Mặt trăng: The moon (the standard, neutral term).
• Vầng trăng: The moon (poetic, often referring to its round shape).
• Nguyệt: The moon (a Sino-Vietnamese literary term used in poetry and formal writing).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Lên cung trăng" / "Bay lên cung trăng": To go to the moon palace; used metaphorically to describe a lofty, dreamlike, or unattainable aspiration, or a state of bliss.
  • Giấc mơ của cô ấy đẹp như chuyện bay lên cung trăng. (Her dream is as beautiful as a story about flying to the moon palace.)

1. (văn chương) Phoebe, the moon