Definition

1. Verb:
   • To wither away, to fade: Describes the process of losing vitality, freshness, or vigor, often gradually and irreversibly. Commonly used for plants, flowers, or beauty decaying.
   • To decline, to decay: Refers to entering a final stage of decline or deterioration, often applied to abstract concepts like an era, a regime, or one's looks.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hoa hồng đã tàn tạ sau đợt nắng nóng. (The roses withered away after the heatwave.)
  • Nhan sắc của bà đã tàn tạ theo năm tháng. (Her beauty has faded with the years.)
  • Đó là thời kỳ tàn tạ của chế độ cũ. (That was the decaying period of the old regime.)

Advanced Usage

• Used in literary and formal contexts to evoke a sense of slow, inevitable decline, often with a melancholic or poetic tone.
  • Cả khu vườn tàn tạ trong mùa đông khắc nghiệt. (The entire garden withered in the harsh winter.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tàn phai (v): to fade, to wither (often used interchangeably with , but can imply a slightly less severe or slower decline).
  • Màu sắc của bức tranh đã tàn phai. (The colors of the painting have faded.)
• Tàn lụi (v): to perish, to die out (emphasizes a complete end or extinction).
  • Ngọn lửa nhỏ dần rồi tàn lụi. (The small flame dimmed and then died out.)

Synonyms

• Wither: to become dry and shriveled.
• Fade: to lose brightness, vitality, or freshness.
• Decay: to decline in quality, power, or vigor.
• Decline: to gradually move to a worse state.

Related Idioms

• Tàn tạ như hoa héo: Withered like a wilted flower (emphasizes a loss of former beauty or vitality).
  • Sau cơn bệnh, bà trông tàn tạ như hoa héo. (After the illness, she looked withered like a wilted flower.)

verb

1. to go to seed, to wither up (away)