từ trần
Definition
- Verb (intransitive):
- To pass away: A respectful and formal term for dying, used to show deference for the deceased and sensitivity to the bereaved. It is the most common and appropriate translation.
- To depart this life: A more literal and euphemistic translation, conveying the idea of leaving the earthly world.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cụ ông ấy đã từ trần vào sáng sớm hôm qua. (The elderly gentleman passed away early yesterday morning.)
- Chúng tôi vô cùng thương tiếc báo tin bà nội đã từ trần. (We regretfully announce the passing of our grandmother.)
- Người ta nói ông ấy đã từ trần một cách thanh thản. (They say he departed this life peacefully.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is used in formal announcements, obituaries, and respectful speech. It carries a solemn and dignified tone, avoiding the bluntness of the neutral word "chết" (to die).
Variants and Related Words
Qua đời (v): to pass away. A similarly respectful synonym, slightly less formal than "từ trần".
- Nguyên Chủ tịch nước đã qua đời ở tuổi 95. (The former President passed away at the age of 95.)
Khuất núi (v, idiom): to pass away (literally: "the mountain obscures [them]"). A literary and metaphorical term.
- Nhà thơ lớn ấy giờ đã khuất núi. (That great poet has now passed beyond the mountains.)
Synonyms
- Pass away: To die (the standard respectful equivalent).
- Depart: To leave, especially from life.
- Be deceased: A formal adjective for one who has died.
Related Idioms
Đi vào cõi vĩnh hằng: to enter eternity.
- Sau một thời gian dài chống chọi với bệnh tật, bà đã đi vào cõi vĩnh hằng. (After a long battle with illness, she has entered eternity.)
Trở về với cát bụi: to return to dust (earth).
- Con người rồi ai cũng sẽ trở về với cát bụi. (All humans will eventually return to dust.)