tinh lạc
Definition
- Noun:
- Shooting star; meteor: A bright streak of light in the night sky caused by a small piece of cosmic debris (a meteoroid) burning up as it enters Earth's atmosphere. This is the primary and most common meaning.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Đêm qua, tôi đã thấy một tinh lạc. (Last night, I saw a shooting star.)
- Trẻ em thường ước điều ước khi nhìn thấy tinh lạc. (Children often make a wish when they see a shooting star.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "tinh lạc" is a classical or literary term in Vietnamese. In modern everyday conversation, the phrase "sao băng" is more frequently used to refer to the same phenomenon.
Variants and Related Words
- Sao băng (n): The more common, modern term for a shooting star or meteor.
- Sao chổi (n): Comet; a different celestial object with a visible tail, often confused with shooting stars.
Synonyms
- Meteor: The scientific term for the streak of light.
- Shooting star: The common English term.
- Falling star: A less common synonym.
Related Idioms
- While there is no direct idiom with "tinh lạc", the phenomenon is culturally associated with making wishes. A related concept is:
- Ước khi thấy sao băng: To make a wish upon a shooting star.