Definition

1. Adverbial phrase:
   • In a short while; soon; before long: Used to indicate that something will happen after only a brief period of time.
   • How long? (in questions): Used to ask about the duration of time something will last or take, often implying a short or limited period.

Usage Examples

• Adverbial phrase:
  • Cơn mưa này mấy chốc sẽ tạnh. (This rain will stop in a short while.)
  • Cái máy này cũ rồi, mấy chốc mà hỏng. (This machine is old; it will break down before long.)
  • Cậu định đi mấy chốc? (How long do you plan to be gone? / How soon will you go?)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a connotation of a brief, often surprisingly or worryingly short, amount of time. It can imply that something will happen sooner than expected or desired.
• It is used more commonly in spoken or literary Vietnamese than in formal writing.

Variants and Related Words

• Mấy lúc (adverbial phrase): a similar phrase meaning "in a little while" or "soon."
• Chốc lát (adverbial phrase): a moment, an instant. Often used in the construction "một chốc lát" (in a moment).

Synonyms

• Sớm: soon.
• Chẳng bao lâu: not long after.
• Một lát: in a moment.

Related Idioms

• Mấy chốc mà...: An idiomatic structure emphasizing how quickly something happens.
  • Mấy chốc mà nó ăn hết đĩa bánh. (In no time at all, he finished the plate of cakes.)