tiên thánh
Definition
- Noun:
- Fairy and Saint: A compound term referring to both celestial beings (fairies, immortals) and holy figures (saints, sages) from Vietnamese folk religion and belief systems, often invoked together to represent the pantheon of benevolent, supernatural entities.
- A revered, virtuous person: Used figuratively to describe a person of extraordinary moral purity, kindness, or perceived perfection, akin to a saint or an angelic being.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong tín ngưỡng dân gian, người ta thờ cúng các vị tiên thánh. (In folk beliefs, people worship fairies and saints.)
- Bà ấy tốt bụng quá, cứ như một vị tiên thánh vậy. (She is so kind, just like a saint.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in a literary or reverential context to evoke a sense of sacredness and moral ideal.
- It can be used metaphorically in modern speech, sometimes with a slight tone of gentle irony or hyperbole when describing someone's extreme goodness.
Variants and Related Words
Tiên (n): Fairy, immortal, celestial being.
- truyện cổ tích về các nàng tiên (fairy tales about fairies)
Thánh (n): Saint, holy person, sage.
- một vị thánh của đạo Thiên Chúa (a saint of the Christian faith)
Synonyms
- Celestial beings and saints: A general synonym for the collective spiritual entities.
- Paragon of virtue: For the figurative meaning describing a person.
Related Idioms
- Hiền như tiên thánh: (Gentle/kind as a fairy and saint) An idiom used to describe someone of exceptionally gentle and virtuous character.
- Cô giáo mới hiền như tiên thánh. (The new teacher is as gentle as a saint.)