Definition

1. Noun:
   • The upper plank or lid of a coffin: The primary meaning of "ván thiên" refers specifically to the topmost wooden board that covers a coffin.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau khi đặt người quá cố vào, họ đậy ván thiên lại. (After placing the deceased inside, they closed the coffin lid.)
  • Ván thiên thường được làm từ gỗ tốt. (The coffin lid is usually made from good wood.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is used almost exclusively in the context of traditional Vietnamese funerary practices and coffin construction. It is a technical term within this specific cultural domain.

Variants and Related Words

• Quan tài (n): coffin, casket.

  • Chiếc quan tài được làm thủ công. (The coffin was handmade.)

• Ván hậu (n): the footboard or lower plank of a coffin.

• Ván thiên địa (n): a poetic or more formal term that can refer to the entire coffin, literally "the plank of heaven and earth."

Synonyms

• Coffin lid: the cover of a coffin.
• Coffin top: the upper part of a coffin.

Notes on Usage

• "Ván thiên" is a compound noun. "Ván" means "plank" or "board," and "thiên" means "heaven" or "sky," poetically indicating the uppermost part.
• This word is highly specific and not used in everyday conversation. It belongs to the lexicon of traditional carpentry and funeral rites.