thiên lý
Definition
Noun (archaic/literary):
- A thousand miles; a very long distance: Refers to an immense distance, often used poetically to describe a long journey or separation.
- The principle of heaven; natural law; divine justice: Refers to the inherent, righteous order of the universe or the will of heaven.
Noun:
- A type of plant: A climbing plant with heart-shaped leaves and clusters of greenish-yellow flowers, the leaves of which are used in Vietnamese cuisine to make soup.
Usage Examples
- Noun (distance):
- Cha mẹ ở quê nhà, cách xa ngàn dặm, lòng con nhớ thương thiên lý. (My parents are in the homeland, a thousand miles away, my heart misses them across the vast distance.)
- Noun (principle):
- Hành động tàn ác đó rồi sẽ bị thiên lý trừng phạt. (That cruel action will eventually be punished by divine justice.)
- Noun (plant):
- Canh nấu với lá thiên lý rất mát và thơm. (Soup cooked with thiên lý leaves is very cooling and fragrant.)
Advanced Usage
- "Đường thiên lý": The road of a thousand miles; a very long road.
- Trên đường thiên lý, người lữ khách cô đơn. (On the long, long road, the traveler is lonely.)
Variants and Related Words
- Cây thiên lý: The plant. Specifies the botanical entity.
- Giàn cây thiên lý trước nhà đang nở hoa. (The thiên lý vine in front of the house is blooming.)
Synonyms
- Ngàn dặm: A thousand miles (for distance).
- Lẽ trời: The way of heaven; natural law (for principle).
- Cây hoa thiên lý: flower plant (for the plant).
Related Idioms
- Thiên lý truy âm: Literally "heaven's principle conveys the sound." Means that news, especially of injustice, will travel far and wide until it reaches the right ears.
- Cứ làm việc tốt, thiên lý truy âm, mọi người sẽ biết. (Just do good deeds; news will travel, and everyone will know.)