thái lai
Definition
- Noun:
- The coming of good fortune after extreme adversity: A classical Sino-Vietnamese philosophical and literary term describing the inevitable cyclical turn of fate, where a period of extreme hardship (bĩ) is followed by a period of prosperity and peace (thái lai). It encapsulates the concept of positive change emerging from the depths of negativity.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Hãy kiên nhẫn, bĩ cực rồi sẽ thái lai. (Be patient; after extreme adversity comes good fortune.)
- Câu chuyện của họ là một minh chứng cho quy luật thái lai. (Their story is proof of the principle of "thái lai.")
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in the fixed, proverbial phrase "bĩ cực thái lai" (極否泰來). It is a fundamental concept in East Asian philosophy, derived from the I Ching (Book of Changes), representing the natural and inevitable transition between opposing states in the universe.
Variants and Related Words
- Bĩ cực thái lai (idiom): When misfortune reaches its extreme, good fortune arrives. Equivalent to "After rain comes fair weather" or "The darkest hour is just before the dawn."
Synonyms
- Turn of fortune: A favorable change in one's circumstances.
- Upturn: An improvement or recovery, especially after a difficult period.
Related Idioms
- Sau cơn mưa, trời lại sáng: (Vietnamese) After the rain, the sky clears again. A common vernacular equivalent with a similar meaning.
- Hết cơn bĩ cực, đến tuần thái lai: (Literary Vietnamese) The period of extreme hardship ends, and the week of prosperity arrives. A poetic expansion of the core idiom.