mấy thuở

Mấy thuở ta mới gặp nhau, mời anh uống cạn chén rượu.

Definition

1. Adverbial phrase:
   • How rarely / On how few occasions: Expresses that something happens very infrequently or is a rare opportunity. It conveys a sense of preciousness or uniqueness about the moment or event.
   • When ever? / In what era?: A rhetorical question used to emphasize that something is unprecedented or has never happened before.

Usage Examples

• Adverbial phrase:
  • Mấy thuở ta mới gặp nhau. (How rarely do we meet each other.)
  • Được nghỉ phép dài ngày thế này là mấy thuở? (When ever do you get a long holiday like this?)
  • Mấy thuở anh ấy mới khen người khác. (It's on very few occasions that he praises others.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in exclamatory or rhetorical questions to highlight the rarity of an event. It can carry a tone of nostalgia, celebration, or sarcasm, depending on context.
• It is commonly paired with verbs like "có" (to have), "được" (to get/be allowed), or "mới" (only then) to frame the rare occurrence.

Variants and Related Words

• Mấy khi (adv. phrase): How seldom, rarely. A more common synonym with a very similar meaning.
  • Anh ấy mấy khi đến thăm. (He rarely visits.)

Synonyms

• Rarely: Not often.
• Seldom: On only a few occasions.
• Once in a blue moon: Very rarely.

Related Idioms

• Mấy thuở mấy mươi: An intensified form emphasizing extreme rarity over a long span of time.
  • Cơ hội tốt như vậy là mấy thuở mấy mươi. (A good opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime.)