mạt thế

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • The end of an era / a declining age: Refers to the final period of a historical epoch, dynasty, or civilization, characterized by decay, moral decline, and impending collapse.
    • The end of the world / eschatological period: In a philosophical or religious context, it denotes the final age of the world, preceding a great transformation or apocalypse.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • Nhà văn đó thường viết về con người trong thời mạt thế. (That writer often writes about people in the end times.)
    • Triều đại ấy đã bước vào giai đoạn mạt thế. (That dynasty had entered its terminal, declining phase.)
    • Tư tưởng về mạt thế có trong nhiều tôn giáo. (Eschatological thought exists in many religions.)
Advanced Usage
  • Often used in literary, historical, or religious discourse to evoke a sense of irreversible decline, chaos, and the twilight of an established order.
  • Can describe a perceived period of deep moral and social decay in contemporary society, viewed through a pessimistic lens.
Variants and Related Words
  • Thời mạt (n): A shortened, sometimes more colloquial form meaning roughly the same as "mạt thế."
  • Mạt vận (n): Refers to the final phase of one's fortune or luck; the end of one's lucky streak.
Synonyms
  • End times: The final period of history, especially in religious prophecy.
  • Declining age: A period of deterioration and weakening.
  • Eschaton: A theological term for the final event in the divine plan; the end of the world.
Related Idioms and Phrases
  • Cảnh mạt thế: An end-of-the-world scene or landscape.
    • Thành phố hoang tàn trông như cảnh mạt thế. (The deserted city looked like an end-of-the-world scene.)
  • Tư tưởng mạt thế: Eschatological thought.
    • Tư tưởng mạt thế ảnh hưởng đến nghệ thuật thời kỳ đó. (Eschatological thought influenced the art of that period.)