Definition

Noun: 1. Inn; hotel: A place providing lodging and, historically, food and drink for travelers. This is an archaic or literary term in modern Vietnamese.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhà thơ dừng chân tại một lữ điếm ven đường. (The poet stopped at a roadside inn.)
  • "Lữ điếm" là một từ cổ, ít được dùng trong tiếng Việt hiện đại. ("Lữ điếm" is an archaic word, rarely used in modern Vietnamese.)

Advanced Usage

• The term lữ điếm carries a classical or poetic nuance. It evokes images from historical or literary contexts, such as ancient journeys, rather than contemporary travel.
• It is often found in classical poetry, historical novels, or formal writing to create an antique atmosphere.

Variants and Related Words

• Quán trọ (n): A more common, though still somewhat old-fashioned, synonym for "inn" or "lodging house."
• Nhà trọ (n): A common modern term for a guesthouse or boarding house.
• Khách sạn (n): The standard modern word for "hotel."

Synonyms

• Auberge (n, French loanword used in older texts): Inn.
• Nhà khách (n): Guesthouse.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of lữ điếm is an establishment for travelers. Its primary difference from the modern khách sạn (hotel) is its connotation of simplicity, antiquity, and being a stop along a journey, often in a rural or historical setting. It is not used for large, modern hotels.

noun

1. inn; hotel