Definition

1. Noun:

   • Life; lifetime; existence: A single span of life from birth to death, often with a focus on its conditions and experiences.
   • Generation; cycle: Can refer to a distinct period or era in a cyclical view of time or existence.
   • Fate; lot; destiny: The predetermined circumstances or fortune of one's life, implying a sense of inevitability.

2. Noun (Buddhist & philosophical context):

   • Reincarnation; rebirth; incarnation: A cycle of repeated birth, death, and rebirth, central to the Buddhist concept of samsara. Each "kiếp" is seen as a consequence of actions (karma) from previous lives.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Kiếp này tôi là một giáo viên. (In this life, I am a teacher.)
  • Kiếp người thật ngắn ngủi. (A human life is truly brief.)
  • Số phận đã định đoạt kiếp của anh ấy. (Fate has determined his lot.)

• Noun (Buddhist context):

  • Theo Phật giáo, chúng ta trải qua nhiều kiếp luân hồi. (According to Buddhism, we go through many cycles of reincarnation.)
  • Anh ấy tin kiếp trước mình là một nghệ sĩ. (He believes his previous incarnation was an artist.)

Advanced Usage

• "Kiếp sống": life, existence (emphasizing the state of being alive).

  • Kiếp sống vất vả của người nông dân. (The hard life of a farmer.)

• "Kiếp sau" / "Kiếp trước": next life / previous life.

  • Họ hẹn nhau sẽ gặp lại ở kiếp sau. (They promised to meet again in the next life.)

• "Kiếp hồng nhan": the fate of a beautiful woman (often implying a tragic or troubled destiny).

  • Câu chuyện kể về kiếp hồng nhan bạc mệnh. (The story tells of the tragic fate of a beauty.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kiếp cát bụi (n): a dusty, humble existence; a metaphor for a transient, insignificant life.

  • Chúng ta chỉ là kiếp cát bụi mà thôi. (We are merely a transient, dusty existence.)

• Kiếp đọa đày (n): a life of suffering or punishment.

  • Họ sống một kiếp đọa đày trong nghèo khó. (They lived a life of suffering in poverty.)

Synonyms

• Life: the period from birth to death.
• Incarnation: a life lived in a particular form.
• Destiny: the predetermined course of events.
• Cycle: a series of events that are regularly repeated.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Kiếp tằm: the fate of a silkworm; a metaphor for a life of constant toil.

  • Bà làm việc cật lực như kiếp tằm. (She works tirelessly like a silkworm's fate.)

• Kiếp phù sinh: the fleeting, illusory nature of life.

  • Kiếp phù sinh, mọi thứ rồi sẽ qua. (In this fleeting life, everything will pass.)

• Hết kiếp: to be at the end of one's life/tether; to have exhausted one's luck or resources.

  • Công ty đó có vẻ đã hết kiếp. (That company seems to be at its end.)

noun

1. life; generation