thèm hai

Một thanh niên thèm hai đang đọc sách trong thư viện.

Definition

1. Adjective (colloquial, Northern Vietnamese dialect):
   • Nearly twenty years old: Used to describe a person, typically a young woman, who is approaching the age of twenty. It carries a nuance of youthful prime and desirability.

Usage Notes

• This is a fixed, idiomatic expression. The word "hai" means "twenty" and "thèm" in this context implies a state of being or approaching that age. It is not used for general age description but specifically for this life stage.
• The term is somewhat poetic and old-fashioned, often found in literature or used by older generations. It is regionally specific to Northern Vietnam.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy đang ở cái tuổi thèm hai. (She is at that nearly-twenty age.)
  • Thời thèm hai là thời đẹp nhất của con gái. (The nearly-twenty age is the most beautiful time for a girl.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used metaphorically to evoke nostalgia for youth or the fleeting nature of beauty and time.
  • Nhớ lại những ngày thèm hai mà lòng bồi hồi. (Remembering the nearly-twenty days fills my heart with emotion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tuổi đôi mươi (n): The age of twenty; youth.
  • Cô ấy bước vào tuổi đôi mươi. (She is entering her twenties.)

Synonyms

• Sắp hai mươi: Almost twenty.
• Độ tuổi đẹp nhất: The most beautiful age (contextual synonym).

Related Idioms

• Xuân thì: Springtime of life; youth (a more literary and general term for youth).
  • Tuổi thèm hai cũng là một phần của xuân thì. (The nearly-twenty age is also a part of the springtime of life.)