vãng lai
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To come and go, to frequent: To move to and from a place repeatedly, often without staying permanently. It implies transient or recurring movement.
- To visit, to pass through: To go to a place temporarily, as a visitor or traveler.
Adjectival Usage (often in the compound "khách vãng lai"):
- Transient, passing, casual: Describing someone or something that is not permanent, such as a casual visitor or temporary customer.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Nhiều thương nhân vãng lai giữa hai thị trấn. (Many merchants frequented between the two towns.)
- Tâm trí anh ấy vãng lai giữa quá khứ và hiện tại. (His mind wandered between the past and the present.)
Adjectival Usage:
- Đây chỉ là khách vãng lai, không phải khách quen. (This is just a transient customer, not a regular.)
- Quán cà phê chủ yếu phục vụ khách vãng lai. (The café mainly serves casual passers-by.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "vãng lai" is classical and literary. In modern spoken Vietnamese, it is most commonly used in the fixed phrase "khách vãng lai" (transient guest/customer). Using it alone as a verb sounds formal or poetic.
Variants and Related Words
Khách vãng lai (n): A transient guest; a casual customer or passer-by.
- Bãi đỗ xe này dành cho khách vãng lai. (This parking lot is for transient customers.)
Qua lại (v): To go back and forth; to have dealings with. (This is the more common, everyday synonym for "to come and go").
- Hai gia đình qua lại thân thiết. (The two families visit each other closely.)
Synonyms
- To frequent: To visit often.
- To come and go: To move repeatedly to and from.
- Transient: Lasting only for a short time.
Related Idioms
- Khách vãng lai: A set phrase meaning a transient person. It often carries a philosophical nuance about the temporary nature of life and relationships.
- Đời người chỉ như khách vãng lai. (Human life is merely that of a transient guest.)