Definition

1. Verb phrase (archaic/literary):
   • To dispel one's sorrow; to relieve melancholy: To engage in an activity or action specifically to alleviate feelings of sadness, grief, or boredom.

Usage

• This is a literary and somewhat archaic compound verb phrase. It is used to describe the deliberate act of seeking solace or distraction from sadness.
• It is typically used in formal writing, poetry, or historical contexts.
• The phrase often implies a conscious effort to find relief through a specific, often refined, activity.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Ông ấy thường ngâm thơ để khiển muộn. (He often recited poetry to dispel his sorrow.)
  • Trong những đêm cô đơn, bà lấy việc đàn hát ra khiển muộn. (On lonely nights, she took to singing and playing music to relieve her melancholy.)
  • Uống rượu khiển muộn là một thói quen không lành mạnh. (To drown one's sorrows in alcohol is an unhealthy habit.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used with various activities as the means of dispelling sorrow. The structure is typically: [Activity] + để/khiến + khiển muộn.
  • Vẽ tranh khiển muộn. (To paint to dispel sorrow.)
  • Lấy việc du ngoạn làm thú khiển muộn. (To take traveling as a pastime to relieve melancholy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Giải buồn (verb phrase): A more common, modern synonym meaning "to relieve boredom/sadness." is a more classical equivalent.
• Khuây khỏa (verb): To be comforted, to have one's grief alleviated. It describes the resulting state rather than the action.
• Tiêu sầu (verb phrase, literary): Literally "to dissipate sorrow," very similar in meaning and register to .

Synonyms

• Làm khuây (verb phrase): To distract oneself from grief.
• Giải phiền (verb phrase): To dispel worries/troubles.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Uống rượu khiển muộn / Giải sầu (idiom): To drown one's sorrows in drink. This is a common collocation where the activity (drinking) is specified.
  • Anh ta tìm đến quán rượu với mục đích uống rượu khiển muộn. (He went to the bar with the aim of drowning his sorrows.)

1. (cũ) Dispel one's sorrow
   • Uống rượu khiển muộn
     To dispelone's sorrows with drinks of alcohol, to drown one's sorrows in alcohol