Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Temporarily, for a short time: Indicates a state, condition, or action that lasts only for a limited, brief period and is not permanent.
   • Transiently, fleetingly: Describes something that is short-lived, passing, or ephemeral in nature.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Chiến thắng của họ chỉ là nhất thời. (Their victory is only temporary.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy hạnh phúc nhất thời. (She felt a fleeting happiness.)
  • Đó là một giải pháp nhất thời cho vấn đề. (That is a temporary solution to the problem.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhất thời" as an adjective modifier: While primarily an adverb, it can precede a noun to describe its temporary nature.

  • một hiện tượng nhất thời (a transient phenomenon)
  • sự khó khăn nhất thời (temporary difficulty)

• "chỉ là nhất thời": A common phrase meaning "is only temporary/transient."

  • Mọi khó khăn rồi sẽ qua, chúng chỉ là nhất thời. (All difficulties will pass; they are only temporary.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tạm thời (adj/adv): Provisional, interim, for the time being. Often used for planned, short-term arrangements. (e.g., - a provisional solution).
• Thoáng qua (adj): Fleeting, passing very quickly. Emphasizes brevity and speed. (e.g., - a fleeting thought).
• Phù du (adj): Ephemeral, transient (often poetic/literary). (e.g., - an ephemeral existence).
• Nhứt thời: An older, variant spelling of "nhất thời."

Synonyms

• Tạm bợ: Makeshift, improvised (often with a connotation of being unstable or low quality).
• Chốc lát: For a moment, for a short while (emphasizes a very brief duration).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Đẹp nhất thời": From the Vietnamese-French reference, meaning "of a passing/transient beauty." This describes beauty that is fleeting and will not last.
  • Vẻ đẹp ấy chỉ là đẹp nhất thời. (That beauty is merely transient.)

1. Temporarily, transiently