xa khơi
Definition
Adjective:
- Far out to sea; offshore; in the open sea: Describes a location or direction that is a great distance from the shore, on the deep, vast ocean.
- Remote; distant (figurative): Used metaphorically to describe something that feels emotionally or physically very far away.
Noun:
- The deep sea; the open ocean; the high seas: Refers to the expansive, distant part of the sea, away from the coastline.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Con thuyền nhỏ bé lênh đênh xa khơi. (The small boat was adrift far out at sea.)
- Giấc mơ của anh ấy giờ đã xa khơi. (His dream is now distant/remote.)
- Noun:
- Ngư dân dũng cảm ra xa khơi đánh bắt cá. (The brave fishermen go out to the open sea to fish.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in poetry, songs, and literature to evoke a sense of vastness, solitude, adventure, or melancholy associated with the distant ocean.
- Can imply a journey, both literal and metaphorical, into the unknown or away from the familiar safety of the shore.
Variants and Related Words
- Khơi (n): The sea, the deep water (often used in combination with "xa").
- Ra khơi (v): To set out to sea, to go fishing/seafaring.
- Đoàn thuyền ra khơi vào lúc bình minh. (The fleet set out to sea at dawn.)
Synonyms
- Offshore: Situated at sea some distance from the shore.
- On the high seas: In the open ocean, beyond territorial waters.
- In the open ocean: Away from land.
- Distant / Remote: Far away in space or time.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Xa bờ xa khơi: An intensified phrase meaning "far from shore, far out to sea," emphasizing great distance and separation from land.
- Chiếc bè trôi xa bờ xa khơi. (The raft drifted far, far out to sea.)
- Một phương trời *xa khơi*: A poetic phrase meaning "a distant horizon" or "a faraway place."
- Anh ấy đang ở một phương trời xa khơi. (He is in a distant corner of the world.)