tre trẻ

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Very young: An emphatic form of "trẻ" (young), used to describe someone or something that is extremely young or in the early stages of life or existence.
    • Fresh and youthful: Often conveys a sense of being tender, new, and full of youthful vitality.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • Cô ấy trông còn tre trẻ lắm. (She looks very young.)
    • Những chiếc lá tre trẻ mới nhú. (The very young leaves are just sprouting.)
    • Anh ấy có một tâm hồn tre trẻ. (He has a very youthful spirit.)
Advanced Usage
  • The word "tre trẻ" is a reduplicative form, common in Vietnamese, which intensifies the base adjective "trẻ." It is primarily used in descriptive, often poetic or affectionate, contexts rather than formal ones.
Variants and Related Words
  • Trẻ (adj): young.
    • Đứa trẻ (the child).
  • Trẻ trung (adj): youthful (often in appearance or style).
    • Phong cách trẻ trung (a youthful style).
  • Trẻ em (n): children.
    • Quyền trẻ em (children's rights).
Synonyms
  • Very young: extremely young, tender.
  • Youthful: having the qualities of youth.
Related Idioms
  • Tre già măng mọc: (lit. When the bamboo is old, the shoots sprout.) A proverb meaning as the old pass, the young take their place, emphasizing the cycle of generations.
    • Xã hội luôn vận động theo luật tre già măng mọc. (Society always operates by the law of "when the bamboo is old, the shoots sprout.")