khuất bóng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To be out of sight / to be hidden from view: Refers to a person or object moving away or being positioned so that they are no longer visible.
- To have passed away / to be deceased (euphemistic): A gentle, literary term used to say that someone, especially an elder, has died. It implies the person has departed from the visible world.
Usage Examples
- Literal (out of sight):
- Chiếc thuyền nhỏ dần khuất bóng sau rặng cây. (The small boat gradually disappeared from sight behind the trees.)
- Euphemistic (deceased):
- Cụ ông đã khuất bóng được ba năm. (The old gentleman passed away three years ago.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in formal, literary, or respectful contexts, particularly in writing or when speaking about death with sensitivity.
- The phrase carries a poetic nuance, comparing death to vanishing from sight.
Variants and Related Words
- Khuất núi (verb phrase): A synonym meaning "to pass away," literally "to be hidden behind the mountain."
- Khuất mặt (verb phrase): To be absent; to not be present.
Synonyms
- To disappear: To cease to be visible.
- To pass away: To die (the primary euphemistic synonym).
Related Idioms
- Đã khuất bóng: Has passed on. This is the standard phrasing used to announce or refer to a death respectfully.
- Người sáng lập trường đã khuất bóng. (The school's founder has passed on.)