Definition

Noun: 1. Eternity, ancient times, time immemorial: Refers to an extremely long, immeasurable period of time, often stretching back to the distant past or forward into the endless future. It conveys a sense of timelessness. 2. The deceased, the departed: A classical, literary, and respectful term for a person who has passed away, implying they have entered the realm of eternity.

Usage Examples

• (To leave an eternal/immortal name.)
• (The story has become a legend of ancient times/an eternal legend.)
• (To pay respects to the departed.)

Advanced Usage

• "thiên cổ hận": An eternal, undying grudge or regret.
  • Mối tình ấy để lại mối hận thiên cổ. (That love left behind an eternal regret.)
• "thiên thu thiên cổ": A poetic phrase emphasizing everlasting time (thiên thu: a thousand autumns; thiên cổ: eternity).
  • Tình bạn ấy mong được thiên thu thiên cổ. (That friendship is wished to last for eternity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vĩnh cửu (adj/n): Eternal, everlasting. (Focuses more on the quality of being endless.)
• Bất tử (adj): Immortal, undying. (Focuses on not being subject to death.)
• Cổ đại (n/adj): Ancient, antiquity. (Refers specifically to the historical ancient period, less poetic than "thiên cổ".)

Synonyms

• Vĩnh hằng: Eternity, perpetuity.
• Muôn thuở: Forever, for all ages.
• Ngàn xưa: From a thousand years ago, ancient times.

Related Idioms

• Lưu truyền thiên cổ: To be passed down through eternity; to become immortal (often used for stories, reputations).
  • Tấm gương anh dũng của ông được lưu truyền thiên cổ. (His heroic example is passed down through eternity.)
• Hận tình thiên cổ: An eternal love-hate; a tragic, timeless love story.
  • Romeo và Juliet là một hận tình thiên cổ. (Romeo and Juliet is a timeless tragic love story.)

noun

1. eternity