am

/æm, əm, m/

Thân thiện

Một nhà sư sống trong một ngôi am nhỏ trên núi.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small temple or pagoda: A modest, often simple, Buddhist place of worship, smaller than a main temple ("chùa").
   • A hermitage or secluded hut: A small, quiet dwelling, typically in a remote or tranquil location, used by monks, ascetics, or scholars for meditation, study, or retreat.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trên núi có một ngôi am nhỏ. (On the mountain, there is a small hermitage.)
  • Nhà thơ lui về sống trong am cỏ bên hồ. (The poet retreated to live in a thatched hut by the lake.)
  • Vị sư tu hành trong am đá. (The monk practices asceticism in a stone hermitage.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "am" often carries a poetic or literary connotation, evoking images of solitude, peace, and spiritual pursuit. It is commonly found in historical, literary, or religious contexts rather than in everyday modern speech.
• "Am tự": This compound refers specifically to a small temple or pagoda.
  • Khu vườn phía sau có một am tự cổ. (The garden at the back contains an ancient small temple.)

Variants and Related Words

• Am thất (n): A hermit's cell or a secluded study; emphasizes the dwelling aspect.

  • Ông dành cả mùa hè đọc sách trong am thất. (He spent the whole summer reading in his secluded study.)

• Tiểu am (n): A small hermitage; uses "tiểu" (small) to explicitly emphasize the size.

Synonyms

• Hermitage: A secluded residence, especially of a religious recluse.
• Retreat: A quiet or secluded place for meditation or privacy.
• Shrine: A holy place, which can sometimes be small and simple like an "am".

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Lui về am cỏ: To retreat to a thatched hermitage. This phrase symbolizes abandoning worldly affairs for a simple, contemplative life.

  • Sau bao năm bon chen, cuối cùng ông ấy lui về am cỏ. (After years of striving, he finally retreated to a thatched hermitage.)

• Am thanh cảnh vắng: A literary phrase describing a quiet, secluded, and peaceful scene.

  • Nơi đây thật là am thanh cảnh vắng. (This place is truly serene and secluded.)

Học thuật

noun

1. Small temple, small pagoda; hermitage, secluded hut
   • vị sư già sống cô độc trong cái am ở chân thung lũng vắng người
     the old monk lived all alone in his hermitage at the bottom of the deserted valley