quê khách
Definition
- Noun:
- Foreign land; alien country: Refers to a country or region that is not one's own homeland; a place where one is a stranger or visitor.
- A place far from home: Emphasizes the feeling of being in a distant, unfamiliar location.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Sống ở quê khách đôi khi thấy cô đơn. (Living in a foreign land sometimes feels lonely.)
- Anh ấy đã lập nghiệp tại một vùng quê khách. (He built his career in a distant, alien country.)
Advanced Usage
- The term carries a poetic or literary nuance, often evoking a sense of nostalgia, displacement, or the experience of being an outsider. It is more evocative than the neutral term "nước ngoài" (foreign country).
Variants and Related Words
Quê người (n): A synonym with identical meaning (foreign land, someone else's homeland).
- Bà ấy đã an nghỉ nơi quê người. (She was laid to rest in a foreign land.)
Quê hương (n): Homeland, native land. This is the direct antonym.
- Anh ấy luôn nhớ về quê hương. (He always misses his homeland.)
Synonyms
- Foreign land: A country that is not one's own.
- Alien country: A nation where one is not a native.
- Distant shore: A poetic term for a faraway land.
Related Idioms
- Sống nơi quê khách quê người: To live in a foreign land.
- Cả đời ông cụ sống nơi quê khách quê người. (The old man spent his whole life living in foreign lands.)