thương hải tang điền
Definition
- Idiom (Thành ngữ):
- "The blue sea turns into mulberry fields": A classical literary idiom describing immense, transformative changes over time, specifically the geological or societal shift where what was once a sea becomes dry land suitable for mulberry cultivation, and vice versa. It symbolizes the vast, unpredictable, and cyclical nature of worldly changes.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Trải qua bao thương hải tang điền, ngôi đền cổ vẫn đứng vững. (Having endured all the vicissitudes of time, the ancient temple still stands firm.)
- Câu chuyện gia tộc họ kể lại là một câu chuyện về thương hải tang điền. (The family history they recount is a tale of dramatic upheavals.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is primarily used in formal, literary, or philosophical contexts to reflect on history, fate, or profound personal change. It carries a poetic and somewhat melancholic tone.
Variants and Related Words
- Bãi bể nương dâu: A near-synonymous Vietnamese idiom with the same meaning: "the sea shelf turns into mulberry fields." It is equally literary.
- Cuộc đời nhiều bãi bể nương dâu. (Life has many dramatic changes.)
Synonyms
- Vicissitudes: A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
- Sea change: A profound or notable transformation.
- The shifts and changes of time: A descriptive phrase for ongoing transformation.
Related Idioms
- Vật đổi sao dời: "Things change, stars shift"; meaning everything undergoes change.
- Mười năm trở lại, cảnh vật đổi sao dời. (Returning after ten years, everything had changed.)
- Đời thay thế đổi: "Life substitutes and changes"; meaning life is in constant flux.