trăng trối

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To give last words / to utter a dying wish: The primary meaning of "trăng trối" refers to the act of speaking final instructions, advice, or wishes on one's deathbed.
   • To bequeath a final request: It implies entrusting a final, often important, wish or duty to someone before passing away.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông cụ trăng trối với các con về việc giữ gìn gia phong. (The old man gave his last words to his children about preserving the family's traditions.)
  • Trước khi mất, bà ấy trăng trối rằng muốn được chôn cất ở quê nhà. (Before dying, she expressed her dying wish to be buried in her homeland.)

Advanced Usage

• The word carries a solemn, formal, and literary tone, almost exclusively used in the context of impending death and final communication.
• It often implies a moral obligation for the listeners to fulfill the stated wish.

Variants and Related Words

• Trối trăng (v): This is a variant form with the same meaning as "trăng trối." It is less commonly used.
  • Người cha già đã trối trăng mọi điều hệ trọng. (The old father uttered all important matters as his last words.)

Synonyms

• To bequeath a wish: To leave a request as a legacy.
• To give parting instructions: To offer final directions.
• To utter a deathbed wish: To express a final desire while dying.

Related Idioms

• Lời trăng trối: A dying wish or last words.
  • Anh ấy luôn cố gắng thực hiện lời trăng trối của cha. (He always tries to fulfill his father's dying wish.)