kỳ thuỷ

Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Originally / Initially / At first: Used to describe the beginning stage or the original state of a situation, event, or process, often before a change occurred. This term is literary and somewhat archaic.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Kỳ thủy họ là bạn, sau này mới trở thành đối thủ. (Originally they were friends, only later did they become rivals.)
  • Kỳ thủy dự án rất đơn giản, nhưng nó đã phát triển phức tạp hơn nhiều. (Initially the project was very simple, but it developed to become much more complex.)
  • Kỳ thủy chỉ mới cãi nhau xoàng, sau thành to chuyện. (At first it was just a trivial argument, later it became a big deal.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is considered formal and is more commonly found in written Vietnamese, particularly in narrative or historical contexts, rather than in everyday conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Ban đầu (adv): At first, initially. (A more common and modern synonym.)
• Thoạt đầu (adv): At the outset, in the beginning. (Similar in meaning and slightly literary.)
• Lúc đầu (adv): At the beginning. (The most common and colloquial phrase.)

Synonyms

• Initially
• Originally
• At first
• In the beginning

Related Idioms

• : A common narrative structure meaning "At first... but later on..."