thanh bần
Definition
- Adjective:
- Poor but honest; poor yet pure: Describes a state of material poverty combined with moral integrity, cleanliness, or uprightness. It emphasizes maintaining virtue and contentment despite a lack of wealth.
- Of noble poverty: Conveys a sense of dignified simplicity and ethical living in modest circumstances.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ông ấy sống một cuộc đời thanh bần. (He lives a life of honest poverty.)
- Tinh thần thanh bần là một đức tính cao quý. (The spirit of being poor yet pure is a noble virtue.)
- Họ tuy nghèo nhưng thanh bần, không tham lam. (They are poor but honest and not greedy.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "thanh bần" is often used in a literary or philosophical context to praise someone's character, suggesting their poverty is a conscious or accepted choice that allows them to remain uncorrupted. It is a compound word where "thanh" implies purity/clarity and "bần" implies poverty.
Variants and Related Words
- Thanh đạm (adj): Austere, frugal, simple (often describing a simple diet or lifestyle).
- Bữa ăn thanh đạm. (A simple, frugal meal.)
- An bần lạc đạo (idiom): To be content in poverty and delight in the way (a philosophical ideal).
- Sống theo tinh thần an bần lạc đạo. (To live in the spirit of being content in poverty.)
Synonyms
- Poor but honest: Having little money but being truthful and principled.
- Virtuous in poverty: Maintaining good morals while being poor.
- Impecunious but upright: Lacking funds but morally correct.
Related Idioms
- "Thanh bần giữ phận": To remain poor and keep to one's lot (to be content with one's simple, honest station in life).
- Cụ già sống thanh bần giữ phận ở quê nhà. (The old man lives a life of contented and honest poverty in his homeland.)