Definition

1. Noun:
   • A very long, indefinite, or ancient time; epoch, era: "đời thuở" refers to a distant, often unspecified, period in the past. It emphasizes the great length or antiquity of time.
   • (In rhetorical questions) A time that is unimaginable or non-existent: Used in exclamatory or interrogative phrases to express that something is inconceivable or has never happened.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chuyện từ đời thuở nào! (A story from time immemorial! / That's an ancient story!)
  • Đời thuở nhà ai lại có chuyện như thế? (Since when/In what era has there ever been such a thing? / Has such a thing ever happened before?)
  • Tôi chưa thấy cái gì như vậy từ đời thuở. (I haven't seen anything like that in ages / since forever.)

Advanced Usage

• "Từ đời thuở nào": From time immemorial; from a very, very long time ago.
  • Truyền thống đó có từ đời thuở nào rồi. (That tradition has existed since time immemorial.)
• "Đời thuở nhà ai...": Used to start a rhetorical question expressing disbelief, meaning "Since when...", "When has it ever been the case that...", or "In whose era...".
  • Đời thuở nhà ai đi làm mà không được trả lương? (Since when has anyone ever worked without getting paid?)

Variants and Related Words

• Đời thủa: This is a variant spelling and pronunciation of "đời thuở". The meaning and usage are identical.
  • Chuyện xưa lắm rồi, chuyện đời thủa nào ấy. (It's a very old story, a story from some ancient era.)
• Đời (noun): Life, generation, era. The root word meaning "life" or "generation".
• Thuở (noun): Time, period, era (often poetic). The root word meaning "time" or "era".

Synonyms

• Từ xưa: From ancient times.
• Từ lâu lắm rồi: From a very long time ago.
• Từ thuở xa xưa: From a far-off, ancient era (more literary).
• Từ hồi nào: Since when (colloquial, for questions).

Notes on Usage

• Register: "Đời thuở" is considered colloquial (khẩu ngữ). It is commonly used in spoken Vietnamese and in informal writing for emphasis.
• Function: It is primarily used for dramatic emphasis, to hyperbolize the length of time, or to express strong surprise or negation in rhetorical questions. It is rarely used in neutral, factual statements about measured historical periods.
• Structure: It is almost always used in set phrases like "từ đời thuở nào" or "đời thuở nhà ai...". It is not typically used as a standalone subject or object.

1. (khẩu ngữ) cũng nói đời thủa. Time epoch
   • Chuyện từ đời thuở nào!
     Well, it is an old story!