vạn
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Numeral:
- Ten thousand: A specific number, equivalent to 10,000. It is used in the Sino-Vietnamese counting system, often for large, approximate, or rhetorical quantities.
- A myriad; countless; innumerable: Used figuratively to express a very large, indefinite number, similar to "myriad" or "countless" in English.
Noun:
- A floating fishing village; a community of boat-dwelling fishermen: Refers to a traditional settlement of fishing families living on boats or stilt houses on rivers or coastal waters.
Usage Examples
Numeral (Ten thousand):
- Thành phố có dân số hơn một vạn người. (The city has a population of over ten thousand people.)
- Anh ấy đã đọc vạn cuốn sách. (He has read myriads of books.)
Noun (Fishing village):
- Những người dân vạn chài sống hòa mình với sông nước. (The people of the fishing village live in harmony with the river.)
Advanced Usage
"vạn sự khởi đầu nan": Literally "ten thousand things, the beginning is difficult." An idiom meaning "The first step is always the hardest" or "All things are difficult before they are easy."
- Đừng nản lòng, vạn sự khởi đầu nan mà. (Don't be discouraged, the first step is always the hardest.)
"vạn sự như ý": Literally "ten thousand things as desired." A common New Year's greeting meaning "May all your wishes come true" or "All the best."
- Chúc bạn năm mới vạn sự như ý. (I wish you a New Year with all your wishes coming true.)
"vạn tử nhất sinh": Literally "ten thousand deaths, one life." An idiom describing an extremely dangerous situation where survival is against all odds; a narrow escape.
- Anh ta thoát khỏi vụ tai nạn trong tình trạng vạn tử nhất sinh. (He escaped the accident in a miraculously narrow escape.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chữ Vạn (卍/卐): The swastika symbol, an ancient religious icon in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other cultures, representing auspiciousness, eternity, and good fortune. It is distinct from the Nazi symbol.
- Biểu tượng chữ Vạn thường thấy trong các ngôi chùa Phật giáo. (The swastika symbol is commonly seen in Buddhist temples.)
Synonyms
- Mười nghìn: Ten thousand (the pure Vietnamese equivalent).
- Hàng vạn: Tens of thousands; myriad.
- Vô số: Countless; innumerable.
- Làng chài: Fishing village (a more common term for the community).
Related Idioms
- "Nhất bản vạn lợi": Literally "one capital, ten thousand profits." Means a highly profitable venture or investment.
- "Thiên biến vạn hóa": Literally "a thousand changes, ten thousand transformations." Means ever-changing; myriad changes; extremely variable.