thanh giản
Definition
- Adjective:
- Simple and pure / austere and plain: Describes a lifestyle, taste, or manner that is both pure, untainted by luxury, and deliberately simple or unadorned. It combines the qualities of purity ("thanh") and simplicity ("giản").
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Lối sống thanh giản của ông ấy thật đáng ngưỡng mộ. (His simple and pure lifestyle is truly admirable.)
- Căn phòng được trang trí một cách thanh giản. (The room is decorated in an austere and plain manner.)
- Bữa ăn thanh giản nhưng đầy đủ dinh dưỡng. (The meal is simple and plain but fully nutritious.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is often used in a positive, commendable sense to describe virtues such as modesty, humility, and a lack of material desire. It is commonly applied to philosophy, lifestyle, art, or design.
Variants and Related Words
- Thanh đạm (adj): plain, frugal (often describing food or lifestyle).
- Giản dị (adj): simple, plain.
- Thanh bạch (adj): pure and honest, incorruptible.
Synonyms
- Austere: severely simple.
- Spartan: lacking comfort or luxury; strictly simple.
- Unadorned: not decorated; plain.
- Frugal: simple and plain, especially to save money.
Related Idioms
- Sống đời thanh giản: to live a simple and pure life.
- Cụ già quyết định sống đời thanh giản ở quê nhà. (The old man decided to live a simple and pure life in his hometown.)