muôn năm
Definition
Interjection:
- Long live; forever; ten thousand years: A traditional exclamation used to express enthusiastic praise, celebration, or a wish for something to last eternally. It is commonly used in cheers, slogans, and formal acclamations.
Noun (in fixed expressions):
- Eternity; an immensely long time: Used to denote a period of time so long it is considered everlasting, often in poetic or hyperbolic contexts.
Usage Examples
Interjection:
- Hòa bình muôn năm! (Long live peace!)
- Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam muôn năm! (Long live the Communist Party of Vietnam!)
Noun:
- Tình yêu của họ sẽ trường tồn muôn năm. (Their love will endure for ten thousand years.)
- Anh ấy hứa sẽ nhớ cô muôn năm. (He promised to remember her for eternity.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used in formal, historical, or political contexts for acclamation. It can carry a solemn or ceremonial tone.
- In modern, informal usage among friends, especially online or in memes, it can be used humorously or ironically to cheer for mundane things (e.g., - Long live morning coffee!).
Variants and Related Words
- Vạn tuế: This is the Sino-Vietnamese equivalent with the same meaning ("ten thousand years"), often seen in historical or literary contexts.
- Trường tồn (adj): everlasting, enduring.
- Bất diệt (adj): immortal, imperishable.
Synonyms
- Long live: A direct equivalent for the acclamatory use.
- Forever: For the temporal sense.
- Eternally: Lasting for an infinite period.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Sống muôn năm: To live for ten thousand years; to live an extremely long life.
- Chúc Bác sống muôn năm! (We wish you [a respected elder] to live ten thousand years!)
- Muôn đời: Literally "ten thousand lifetimes"; another way to express eternity or perpetuity.
- Ghi nhớ công ơn muôn đời. (To be eternally grateful for the kindness.)