Definition

1. Noun:
   • Spring and Autumn: The literal meaning, referring to the two seasons of spring and autumn. This often symbolizes a year or the cycle of time.
   • Age, Years: A classical, literary term for a person's age or the passing of years, derived from the cycle of seasons.
   • The Spring and Autumn Period: A specific historical era in China (approximately 770–476 BCE).
   • The Spring and Autumn Annals: The name of a classic Chinese historical text traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius, chronicling the history of the state of Lu.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Seasons/Year):
  • Xuân thu nhị kỳ. (Twice a year, in spring and autumn.)
• Noun (Age):
  • Xuân thu đã bao nhiêu? (What is your age? [Literary])
• Noun (Historical Period):
  • Đó là một câu chuyện từ thời Xuân thu. (That is a story from the Spring and Autumn Period.)
• Noun (Historical Text):
  • Sách Xuân thu do Khổng Tử biên soạn. (The Spring and Autumn Annals were compiled by Confucius.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is deeply rooted in classical Sino-Vietnamese literature and philosophy. Its use to mean "age" is now primarily poetic or archaic.
• In historical context, "Xuân thu" often carries connotations of historical judgment, moral chronicles, and the orderly passage of time, influenced by the Confucian classic.

Variants and Related Words

• Thời Xuân Thu (n): The Spring and Autumn Period.
• Kinh Xuân Thu (n): The Spring and Autumn Annals (the classic text).

Synonyms

• Spring and autumn: the seasons.
• Tuổi tác, niên kỷ: age, years (for the "age" meaning).
• Biên niên sử: chronicle, annals (for the text).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Xuân thu còn nhỏ: To be young in years.
• Xuân thu đã cao: To be advanced in age.

noun

1. spring and autumn