thừa ưa
Definition
- Adverb:
- By chance / unexpectedly / fortuitously: Describes an event or encounter that happens without planning or prior expectation, purely by coincidence or accident.
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- Thừa ưa gặp bạn cũ trên phố. (I met an old friend on the street by chance.)
- Thừa ưa tôi lại có mặt đúng lúc đó. (I happened to be there right at that moment, quite unexpectedly.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "thừa ưa" is considered somewhat literary or old-fashioned in modern Vietnamese. In contemporary casual speech, words like "tình cờ" or "ngẫu nhiên" are more commonly used to express a similar meaning.
Variants and Related Words
- Tình cờ (adv): by chance, accidentally.
- Chúng tôi tình cờ gặp nhau. (We met each other by chance.)
- Ngẫu nhiên (adv/adj): randomly, fortuitous.
- Đó là một sự kiện ngẫu nhiên. (That was a random/fortuitous event.)
Synonyms
- By accident: happening unintentionally.
- Fortuitously: happening by a lucky chance.
- Unexpectedly: in a way that was not anticipated.
Related Idioms
- "Ăn may" / "May mắn": to be lucky. While not a direct idiom with "thừa ưa", it relates to the concept of unplanned, fortunate occurrences.
- Hắn ăn may khi thừa ưa tìm được ví đã mất. (He got lucky when he unexpectedly found his lost wallet.)