Definition

1. Adverb (Phó từ):
   • Never, not once: An old literary term used to express absolute negation regarding the occurrence of an action or event in the past or up to the present moment. It emphasizes the complete absence of an action over a period of time.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Mấy năm nay nó có hà tằng về thăm nhà đâu. (For many years now, he has never come back home for a visit.)
  • Tôi hà tằng thấy cảnh tượng nào lạ lùng đến thế. (I have never seen such a strange sight.)
  • Hắn ta hà tằng nói một lời nào về chuyện đó. (He never said a single word about that matter.)

Advanced Usage Notes

• Literary and Archaic Register: "Hà tằng" is considered an old-fashioned, literary word. It is rarely used in modern spoken Vietnamese and is mostly found in classical literature, poetry, or formal/written contexts to convey a sense of timelessness or poetic negation.
• Emphatic Negation: The term carries a stronger, more emphatic tone than the modern "không bao giờ" (never). It often implies a sense of wonder, regret, or strong emphasis on the permanence of the negation.
• Structure: It is typically used in negative statements, often paired with "có... đâu" for emphasis, as in the classic example: "Có hà tằng... đâu".

Variants and Related Words

• Chẳng từng: A slightly less archaic synonym meaning "have never".
  • Nó chẳng từng đến nơi này. (He has never been to this place.)
• Không bao giờ: The modern, standard equivalent for "never".
  • Tôi không bao giờ quên. (I will never forget.)
• Chưa từng: Another modern equivalent meaning "have never" (with a nuance of "not yet ever").
  • Tôi chưa từng đến Paris. (I have never been to Paris.)

Synonyms

• Chẳng bao giờ: Never (literary/emphatic).
• Không hề: Not at all, never (emphatic, used to deny an action).
• Chưa hề: Have never yet (emphatic).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Hà tằng có chuyện đó: (There has never been such a thing.) Used to firmly deny the existence or possibility of something.
• Hà tằng nghe thấy: (Have never heard of it.) Used to express that one has no knowledge of a matter.

1. (từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) Never
   • Mấy năm nay nó có hà tằng về thăm nhà đâu
     For many years he has never come back home on a visit