Definition

Noun: 1. Prose (archaic/literary): A general, somewhat literary term for written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without the structured meter or rhyme of poetry. It refers to non-poetic literary composition. 2. Essay (specific modern interpretation): In contemporary usage, it can refer to a short, reflective, and often personal literary piece, similar to an informal essay or a sketch.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tác phẩm đó được viết dưới dạng tản văn, không phải thơ ca. (That work is written in prose, not poetry.)
  • Nhà văn nổi tiếng với những bài tản văn về ký ức tuổi thơ. (The writer is famous for his essays about childhood memories.)

Advanced Usage

• The term tản văn carries a classical or refined nuance. In modern academic or formal contexts, văn xuôi is the standard, neutral term for "prose."
• When used to mean a short literary piece, tản văn implies a style that is flowing, contemplative, and less rigidly structured than a formal essay (bài luận).

Variants and Related Words

• Văn xuôi (n): Prose. The standard, contemporary term for non-poetic writing.
• Tùy bút (n): A literary sketch or informal essay; closely related to the modern sense of tản văn but often with a stronger emphasis on personal reflection and description.
• Bút ký (n): A short piece of writing based on observation or experience; can overlap with tản văn.

Synonyms

• Văn xuôi: Prose (direct synonym for the first meaning).
• Bài tùy bút / Tùy bút: Informal essay, literary sketch (synonym for the second meaning).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Thể loại tản văn: The prose genre / the essay genre.
  • Bà ấy sáng tác chủ yếu ở thể loại tản văn. (She primarily creates works in the essay genre.)

noun

1. (củ) prọ