niên kỉ
Definition
- Noun:
- Age (in years), period of life: Refers to the length of time a person has lived, often used in formal or literary contexts to denote one's age or stage in life.
- Epoch, era: A long and distinct period of time in history, often marked by significant characteristics or events.
Usage Examples
Noun (Age):
- Ông ấy đã đến một niên kỉ đáng kính. (He has reached a venerable age.)
- Niên kỉ của cô ấy không quan trọng bằng trí tuệ của cô. (Her age is not as important as her wisdom.)
Noun (Epoch):
- Chúng ta đang sống trong một niên kỉ của công nghệ. (We are living in an epoch of technology.)
- Sự kiện đó đánh dấu sự kết thúc của một niên kỉ. (That event marked the end of an era.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is considered formal and somewhat literary. In modern, everyday Vietnamese, words like "tuổi" (for age) or "thời kỳ" (for epoch) are more commonly used.
- It can be found in historical, philosophical, or poetic texts to convey a sense of grandeur or formality regarding time.
Variants and Related Words
Niên đại (n): Chronological date, era. Often used in history and archaeology.
- Các nhà khảo cổ xác định niên đại của cổ vật. (Archaeologists determine the age of artifacts.)
Thế kỷ (n): Century. A period of one hundred years.
- Thế kỷ 20 chứng kiến nhiều biến động. (The 20th century witnessed many upheavals.)
Kỷ nguyên (n): Era, epoch. Similar to "niên kỉ" but more commonly used for major historical eras.
- Kỷ nguyên khám phá không gian. (The era of space exploration.)
Synonyms
- Age: The length of time a person or thing has existed.
- Epoch: A particular period of time marked by distinctive features or events.
- Era: A long and distinct period of history.
Notes on Usage
- "Niên kỉ" is a rare and formal term. Learners should be aware that its primary synonym for "age" is "tuổi", and for "era" it is "thời kỳ" or "kỷ nguyên".
- The example from the reference dictionary () is a fixed, literary phrase meaning "advanced in years."