Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Solitary, desolate: Describes a place or atmosphere that is empty, quiet, and devoid of people or activity, often evoking a sense of loneliness or abandonment.
   • Quiet, still, calm: Emphasizes a profound, deep silence and tranquility, often with a poetic or slightly melancholic nuance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngôi chùa cổ nằm trong khu rừng tịch liêu. (The ancient temple lies in a solitary forest.)
  • Khu phố về đêm trở nên tịch liêu. (The neighborhood becomes quiet and still at night.)
  • Cảm giác tịch liêu bao trùm ngôi nhà bỏ hoang. (A feeling of desolation envelops the abandoned house.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is considered literary and somewhat archaic. It is often used in written Vietnamese, particularly in poetry, descriptive prose, or historical narratives, to create a vivid mood of serene emptiness.

Variants and Related Words

• Tịch mịch (adj): Silent, deserted, still. A more common synonym with a very similar meaning.
  • Con đường làng tịch mịch trong mưa. (The village road was silent in the rain.)

Synonyms

• Solitary: Being alone or remote from others.
• Desolate: Deserted of people and in a state of bleak emptiness.
• Quiet: Making little or no noise.
• Still: Deep silence and calm.

Related Idioms

• While "tịch liêu" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used to describe scenes in common poetic phrases, such as:
  • Cảnh vật tịch liêu: a desolate scene.
  • Không gian tịch liêu: a solitary/quiet space.

adj

1. solitary, quiet