trẻ già
Definition
Noun Phrase:
- The young and the old: A collective term referring to both young people and elderly people as distinct groups within a society or community.
- Young and old alike / Everyone: Used to indicate inclusiveness, meaning all people regardless of age.
Adjective Phrase (in certain contexts):
- Young but appearing or acting old: Describes a person who is young in age but has an old soul, mature demeanor, or aged appearance.
Usage Examples
Noun Phrase:
- Lễ hội này dành cho mọi người, từ trẻ già đến trai gái. (This festival is for everyone, from the young and the old to men and women.)
- Chính sách này ảnh hưởng đến cả trẻ già. (This policy affects everyone, young and old alike.)
Adjective Phrase:
- Cậu bé ấy suy nghĩ rất sâu sắc, trẻ già quá. (That boy thinks very deeply; he is so young yet old.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used in formal or literary contexts to evoke a sense of universal community or shared human experience across generations.
- It can function as a rhetorical device to emphasize that something applies to the entire population without exception.
Variants and Related Words
Trẻ em (n): children.
- Công viên có khu vui chơi cho trẻ em. (The park has a playground for children.)
Người già (n): the elderly, old people.
- Chúng ta cần quan tâm đến người già. (We need to care for the elderly.)
Synonyms
- Young and old: The primary synonym as a collective noun.
- All ages: Emphasizing inclusiveness.
- Old soul: For the adjectival sense describing a mature young person.
Related Idioms
- Trẻ không tha, già không thương: (To spare neither the young nor the old). To be merciless or ruthless towards everyone.
- Bọn cướp hành động tàn bạo, trẻ không tha già không thương. (The robbers acted brutally, sparing neither the young nor the old.)