sinh tiền
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adverb:
- During one's lifetime: Refers to the period when a person was alive, used specifically when speaking about someone who is now deceased. It indicates actions, states, or events that occurred while that person was living.
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- Sinh tiền bố tôi rất thích thơ. (During his lifetime, my father was very fond of poetry.)
- Cụ ông sinh tiền là một nhà giáo mẫu mực. (During his lifetime, the old gentleman was a model teacher.)
- Bà nội tôi, sinh tiền, luôn giữ khu vườn rất đẹp. (My grandmother, during her lifetime, always kept the garden very beautiful.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is typically used in formal, respectful, or narrative contexts, often when reminiscing about a deceased person's character, habits, or accomplishments. It is placed before or after the subject it modifies.
Variants and Related Words
- Khi còn sống: An equivalent phrase meaning "when (he/she) was still alive." It is less formal than "sinh tiền."
- Khi còn sống, ông ấy rất hào phóng. (When he was alive, he was very generous.)
Synonyms
- During his/her lifetime: The direct equivalent.
- While alive: A simpler, more direct synonym.
- In his/her life: A common phrase with a similar meaning, though less specific to the contrast with being deceased.
Notes on Usage
- "Sinh tiền" is an adverb, not an adjective. It modifies verbs or entire clauses to specify the time period (the lifetime of the deceased subject).
- It is almost exclusively used when the subject of the sentence has passed away. Using it for a living person would be incorrect.
- The word is considered literary and is commonly found in written biographies, eulogies, obituaries, or formal speech.
- During one's lifetime
- Sinh tiền bố tôi rất thích thơDuring his lifetime, my father was very fond of poetry