Definition

Adverb: - For a long time, for many times: "lữa" is an archaic or literary Vietnamese word used to indicate that an action or state has been happening for a long duration or has occurred many times.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Chơi với nhau đã lữa. (To have been friends for a long time.)
  • Hai gia đình ấy kết thân đã lữa. (Those two families have been close for ages.)

Advanced Usage Notes

• Literary and Archaic Use: The word "lữa" is considered literary and is rarely used in modern, everyday spoken Vietnamese. It is more commonly found in poetry, classical literature, or formal, stylized writing to convey a sense of antiquity or enduring time.
• Temporal Emphasis: It emphasizes the long-lasting nature or high frequency of an event or relationship.

Variants and Related Words

• Lâu lữa: A reinforced form combining "lâu" (long) and "lữa," meaning "for a very long time."
  • Chờ đợi lâu lữa. (To have waited for a very, very long time.)
• Đã lữa: A common phrase where "đã" (already) pairs with "lữa" to mean "for a long time now."
  • Quen biết đã lữa. (To have known each other for a long time now.)

Synonyms

• Lâu: Long (time). This is the standard, modern equivalent.
• Đã lâu: For a long time already.
• Bấy lâu: All this while, for this long time (also somewhat literary).

Antonyms

• Mới: Recently, newly.
• Vừa rồi: Just now, recently.

1. Many a time, for long
   • Chơi với nhau đã lữa
     To have been friends for long, to be long-standing friends