thời bệnh
Definition
- Noun:
- Malady of the times / Spirit of the age (in a negative sense): A negative social trend, moral failing, or widespread problem characteristic of a specific historical period or era. It refers to a collective societal or cultural "sickness."
- Seasonal epidemic / Seasonal disease: An illness or epidemic that breaks out and spreads according to a particular season or weather pattern.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Social Malady):
- Lối sống ích kỷ, vô cảm được coi là một thời bệnh của xã hội hiện đại. (Selfish and indifferent lifestyles are considered a malady of the times in modern society.)
- Nhà văn đó thường phê phán những thời bệnh trong các tác phẩm của mình. (That writer often criticizes the maladies of the age in his works.)
- Noun (Seasonal Illness):
- Cúm mùa là một thời bệnh phổ biến. (Seasonal flu is a common seasonal epidemic.)
- Ngành y tế đang chuẩn bị ứng phó với các thời bệnh mùa hè. (The health sector is preparing to deal with summer seasonal diseases.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is formal and literary, more common in analytical, sociological, or historical writing than in everyday conversation.
- When used to mean "seasonal disease," it is a technical or formal term. The more common everyday phrase is "bệnh theo mùa."
Variants and Related Words
- Bệnh thời khí (n): A very close synonym, specifically meaning an illness caused by or prevalent in a particular seasonal climate.
- Bệnh dịch (n): Epidemic, plague. A more general term for a widespread disease.
- Tệ nạn xã hội (n): Social evil. A more direct and common term for negative social phenomena.
Synonyms
- Social Malady: Social ill, zeitgeist (negative connotation), spirit of the age.
- Seasonal Disease: Seasonal illness, seasonal epidemic.
Related Idioms
- Bệnh của thời đại: Literally "disease of the era." A near-identical phrase emphasizing a problem inherent to the current era.
- Ô nhiễm thông tin có lẽ là bệnh của thời đại số. (Information pollution is perhaps the disease of the digital age.)