Definition

Adjective: - Desolate, bleak, dreary: Describes a scene, atmosphere, or sound that evokes a profound feeling of sadness, loneliness, and coldness, often associated with sorrow, loss, or ruin. - Mournful, melancholy: Conveys a sense of poignant sorrow and grief.

Usage

"Thê lương" is primarily used as a literary adjective to describe landscapes, atmospheres, music, or situations that are deeply sad, cold, and evoke a sense of desolation. It often carries a poetic or dramatic tone.

Usage Examples

• (After the battle, the scene was truly desolate.)
• (The sound of the zither sounds very mournful.)
• (A bleak atmosphere enveloped the deserted village.)

Advanced Usage

• "nỗi buồn thê lương": a desolate sorrow.
  • Nỗi buồn thê lương ấy cứ ám ảnh anh. (That desolate sorrow kept haunting him.)
• Used in classical poetry and literature to intensify the emotional landscape.
  • Thê lương cảnh vật đã lâu ngày. (The scenery has been desolate for a long time.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thảm thê (adj): Pathetic, pitiful; often used in conjunction with "thê lương" as "thảm thê lương" to emphasize extreme misery and desolation.
• Tiêu điều (adj): Desolate, bleak (often for places); can be a near synonym but focuses more on physical decline than emotional tone.
• Ảm đạm (adj): Gloomy, dismal; shares the sense of darkness and sadness but is less intense than "thê lương".

Synonyms

• Buồn thảm: Sorrowful, grievous.
• Não nề: Heavy with sorrow, grievous.
• Hiu quạnh: Lonely, deserted (for places).
• Lạnh lẽo: Cold, chilly (can be used figuratively).

Related Idioms

• "Cảnh thê lương tang tóc": A scene of desolation and mourning.
  • Chiến tranh để lại cảnh thê lương tang tóc. (The war left behind a scene of desolation and mourning.)
• While "thê lương" itself is not typically part of a phrasal verb structure, it is commonly found in fixed literary phrases describing scenes and moods.

adj

1. desolate