tuẫn nạn
Definition
- Verb (literary, historical):
- To die for one's country / to perish in a national calamity: The primary meaning refers to sacrificing one's life or dying as a result of a disaster, often in the context of a national struggle or calamity. It carries a solemn, heroic connotation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nhiều chiến sĩ đã tuẫn nạn vì độc lập dân tộc. (Many soldiers died for national independence.)
- Tượng đài được dựng lên để tưởng nhớ những người đã tuẫn nạn. (The monument was erected to commemorate those who perished in the calamity.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is now considered literary and is mostly used in historical or formal commemorative contexts to honor sacrifices of the past.
Variants and Related Words
Tuẫn tiết (v): to commit suicide to preserve one's honor or loyalty, often used in a feudal context.
- Vị tướng thà tuẫn tiết chứ không đầu hàng. (The general would rather commit suicide than surrender.)
Hy sinh (v): to sacrifice. This is the modern, more general, and commonly used term.
- Anh ấy hy sinh tính mạng để cứu đồng đội. (He sacrificed his life to save his comrades.)
Synonyms
- To die a martyr: to be killed for one's beliefs or cause.
- To perish: to die, especially in a tragic or disastrous way.
- To sacrifice oneself: to give up one's life for a purpose.
Related Idioms
- While "tuẫn nạn" itself is not typically part of a common idiom, its meaning is central to phrases honoring sacrifice.
- Chết vì nước: to die for the country. This is a more direct, modern phrase with a similar heroic sentiment.
- Họ là những người đã chết vì nước. (They are the ones who died for the country.)