mệnh chung
Definition
- Verb (formal, literary):
- To pass away; to die. This is a formal and respectful term used to announce or refer to the death of a person, often implying a natural or dignified end of life.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cụ ông ấy đã mệnh chung tại nhà riêng, hưởng thọ 95 tuổi. (The elderly gentleman passed away at his private residence, at the age of 95.)
- Sau một thời gian dài chống chọi với bệnh tật, bà đã mệnh chung. (After a long period battling illness, she passed away.)
- Tin tức nguyên thủ quốc gia mệnh chung khiến cả nước bàng hoàng. (The news of the head of state's death shocked the entire nation.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in written contexts such as official announcements, obituaries, historical texts, or formal speeches. It carries a solemn and dignified tone.
Variants and Related Words
- Qua đời (v): to pass away; to die (formal, but more common in modern usage than "mệnh chung").
- Từ trần (v): to depart from this life; to pass away (formal, literary).
- Khuất núi (v): to pass beyond the mountains; a euphemism for dying (literary, poetic).
Synonyms
- To pass away: to die (a gentle or formal expression).
- To decease: to die (formal, legal, or official term).
- To expire: to come to an end, especially life (formal).
Related Idioms
- Mệnh chung một nơi: to die in a (distant or foreign) place.
- Ông ấy mệnh chung một nơi đất khách quê người. (He passed away in a distant, foreign land.)