khổ hải
Definition
- Noun:
- Sea of suffering; ocean of misery: A classical, literary, and Buddhist term describing life or existence as a vast, boundless expanse of pain, hardship, and affliction. It evokes the image of being adrift in an endless sea of worldly troubles.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Con người phải bơi trong biển khổ hải của cuộc đời. (Humans must swim in the sea of suffering of life.)
- Theo Phật giáo, giác ngộ là cách để vượt qua khổ hải. (According to Buddhism, enlightenment is the way to cross the ocean of misery.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is primarily used in formal, literary, philosophical, or religious contexts. It is not used in everyday conversation.
- It often appears in classical Vietnamese poetry, Buddhist scriptures, and philosophical writings about the nature of human existence.
Variants and Related Words
- Khổ (n/adj): Suffering, pain, hardship. This is the root word and is used much more commonly in both everyday and formal language.
- Bể khổ (n): Another literary term with the same meaning as "khổ hải" (sea of suffering).
- Trầm luân (v/n): To be submerged, to sink (into suffering); tribulations. Often used in similar contexts: (submerged in the sea of suffering).
Synonyms
- Bể khổ (n): Sea of suffering.
- Vòng luân hồi khổ ải (n phrase): The cycle of samsara/suffering (Buddhist context).
Related Idioms/Phrases
- Bể khổ trầm luân: To be deeply submerged in the sea of suffering. A fixed literary phrase emphasizing the depth and inescapability of misery.
- Kiếp người bể khổ trầm luân. (Human life is a deep sea of suffering.)