đâu xa

Đâu xa, có một cái hồ nhỏ với những cây liễu rủ bên bờ.

Definition

1. Adverbial phrase:
   • Not far / Not far away: Used to indicate that a person, place, or thing is located nearby or at a short distance. It often implies that the subject is closer than one might think or expect.
   • Right here / Close by: Can be used to emphasize proximity, sometimes in a figurative sense to mean that something is easily found or understood within one's immediate context.

Usage Examples

• Adverbial phrase:
  • Thư viện ở đâu xa, ngay góc phố này thôi. (The library isn't far; it's right on this street corner.)
  • Anh ấy tưởng công ty ở nước ngoài, nhưng thực ra đâu xa, chỉ ở quận 1. (He thought the company was overseas, but in fact, it's not far at all, it's just in District 1.)
  • Hạnh phúc đâu xa, nó ở ngay bên cạnh bạn. (Happiness isn't far away; it's right beside you.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used in rhetorical or reassuring statements to correct a misconception about distance or difficulty. It can introduce a following clause that reveals the nearby or simple truth.
  • Đâu xa, người bạn tốt nhất của tôi chính là em. (Not far at all, my best friend is you.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đâu có xa: A more emphatic or colloquial variant with the same meaning.
  • Nhà hát đâu có xa, đi bộ năm phút là tới. (The theater isn't far at all; it's a five-minute walk.)

Synonyms

• Nearby: Close at hand.
• Close by: At a short distance.
• Right here: In this very place.

Related Idioms

• Đâu phải tìm đâu xa: (You) don't have to look far.
  • Ví dụ điển hình đâu phải tìm đâu xa. (A prime example is not hard to find / is right here.)