The divine comedy — Page 1

Vocabulary

Qua

To pass through or go across something

ta

I, me, or we; informal first-person pronoun

ngươi

You; archaic or literary second-person pronoun

bước

To step or walk; a step or pace

vào

To enter into; indicates motion inward

thành phố

City; an urban metropolitan area

của

Of; possessive particle indicating belonging

khổ đau

Suffering, pain, or misery; emotional anguish

nỗi

A feeling or sense of emotional suffering

vĩnh cửu

Eternal, everlasting; existing forever without end

đến

To arrive at; to come to a place

giữa

Among, between, or in the middle of

những

Plural marker for nouns; those, these things

kẻ

Person, individual; often with negative connotation

lạc lối

Lost, gone astray; unable to find one's way

muôn đời

Forever, for all ages; throughout eternity

Công lý

Justice; the principle of fair and righteous treatment

là

To be; links subject and predicate

đấng

Exalted being, supreme entity; honorific term

đã

Past tense marker; indicates completed action

tạo dựng

To create and build; to establish something new

nên

To become; therefore; should; resultative particle

Dựng

To erect, build, or construct something upright

công việc

Work, task, or job to be accomplished

tối thượng

Supreme, highest, or paramount in authority

trí tuệ

Wisdom, intellect; mental capacity and knowledge

cao

High, tall, or elevated in degree

tình yêu

Love; deep romantic or emotional affection

nguyên sơ

Primordial, original; existing from the very beginning

Trước

Before, in front of; prior in time or space

không

No, not; negation; also means sky or air

có

To have; to exist; there is

vật

Object, thing, or physical matter

nào

Any, which; interrogative or indefinite pronoun

được

To be able to; to receive; indicates success

ngoại trừ

Except for; excluding; with the exception of

thứ

Thing, item; ordinal number classifier

tại

At, in; located at a particular place

Hỡi

O! Hey!; literary exclamation calling someone's attention

đây

Here; this place; used for proximity

hãy

Imperative particle; please do; let us

từ bỏ

To abandon, give up, or relinquish something

mọi

Every, all; each without exception

hy vọng

Hope; a desire for a positive outcome

Những

Plural marker; those, these; indicates multiple items

chữ

Letter, character, word; written symbol

như vậy

Like that, such as that; in that manner

với

With; together with; accompanied by

màu sắc

Color, hue; the visual property of an object

mờ nhạt

Dim, faint; lacking brightness or clarity

tôi

I, me; polite first-person singular pronoun

nhận

To receive, accept, or recognize something

khắc

To engrave, carve; also a quarter-hour measure

trên

On, above, upon; indicates higher position

vòm

Arch, vault, or dome-shaped structure

một

One; the number one; a single item

cổng

Gate, entrance; a large doorway or archway

đó

That, there; refers to something previously mentioned

nói rằng

To say that; to state or declare something

Thưa

Respectful address; dear sir or ma'am

thầy

Teacher, master; respectful term for male mentor

lời

Word, speech, statement; an utterance or lyric

này

This; refers to something nearby or just mentioned

mang

To carry, bear, or bring something along

Ý nghĩa

Meaning, significance; the sense something conveys

nặng nề

Heavy, burdensome; oppressive in weight or feeling

Ông

He, him, sir; respectful term for older male

người

Person, human being; people in general

sẵn sàng

Ready, prepared; willing to do something

đáp lại

To respond, reply; to answer back to someone

Nơi

Place, location; where something is situated

phải

Must, have to; right side; correct

tất cả

All, everything; the entirety of something

sự hoài nghi

Doubt, skepticism; a questioning state of mind

phía sau

Behind, in back of; the rear side

sợ

To fear, be afraid of; fear as a noun

hèn hạ

Cowardly, base, contemptible; morally low character

dập tắt

To extinguish, suppress, or snuff something out

Chúng

They, them; third-person plural pronoun

sẽ

Will; future tense marker in Vietnamese

thấy

To see, notice, or perceive something visually

linh hồn

Soul, spirit; the immaterial essence of a person

Bị

Passive marker; to suffer or undergo something negative

kết án

To sentence, condemn; to declare legally guilty

đánh mất

To lose something carelessly; to forfeit permanently

điều

Thing, matter, point; an abstract concept or issue

thiện

Good, virtuous; moral goodness or benevolence

Đã

Past tense marker; indicates a completed action

Và

And; conjunction connecting words or clauses

khi

When; at the time that something occurs

giơ

To raise or extend a hand or object

bàn tay

Hand; the part of the arm below the wrist

Về

About, regarding; to return to a place

vẻ mặt

Facial expression; the look on someone's face

dịu dàng

Gentle, soft, tender; mild in manner or tone

khiến

To cause, make someone do or feel something

an ủi

To comfort, console; to soothe someone's sorrow

dẫn

To lead, guide; to conduct someone somewhere

tiến

To advance, move forward; progress onward

bí ẩn

Mysterious, secret; hidden and difficult to understand

tiếng thở dài

A sigh; the sound of a deep exhaled breath

than khóc

To weep and lament; to cry out in grief

rên rỉ

To moan, groan; to make sounds of pain

lớn

Large, big; great in size or degree

bầu khí

Atmosphere, air; the gaseous layer surrounding something

xuyên thấu

To pierce through; to penetrate completely

bởi

By, because of; indicates cause or agent

ánh sao

Starlight; the light emitted by stars

Đến

To come, arrive; up to; until a point

ngay

Right away, immediately; straight, directly

cũng

Also, too, as well; likewise included

Nhiều

Many, much, a lot; a large quantity

ngôn ngữ

Language; a system of communication with words

kinh hoàng

Terrifying, horrifying; causing extreme fear or dread

kêu la

To cry out, shout; to scream or wail

thống khổ

Agony, intense suffering; deep physical or mental pain

giọng điệu

Tone of voice; manner or style of speaking

giận dữ

Angry, furious; filled with intense rage

Cùng

Together with; along with; at the same time

đập

To strike, beat, or hit repeatedly

nhau

Each other, one another; mutual action between parties

làm

To do, make; to perform an action or task

âm thanh

Sound, audio; vibrations perceived by the ear

hơn

More than; comparative marker in Vietnamese

Tạo

To create, form, or produce something

hỗn loạn

Chaos, turmoil; a state of complete disorder

mãi

Always, forever; continuously without stopping

Khắp

Throughout, everywhere; covering all parts of an area

nhuốm

To be tinged or stained; imbued with color or quality

đầy

Full, filled; completely covered or occupied

bóng tối

Darkness, shadow; absence of light

Tựa

Like, resembling; leaning against something

cát

Sand; fine granular material found on beaches

bay

To fly; to move through the air rapidly

trong

In, inside; clear, transparent; within a space

cơn lốc

Whirlwind, tornado; a violent spinning windstorm

Khi

When; at the moment or time that

vẫn còn

Still, yet; continuing to be in a state

bối rối

Confused, flustered; in a state of bewilderment

lên

Up, upward; indicates increase or upward movement

Ôi

Oh! An exclamation of surprise or emotion

thưa

Respectful address particle; sparse or infrequent

Đây

Here, this; indicates proximity to the speaker

gì

What; interrogative word asking for identification

đang

Currently, presently; progressive aspect marker

nghe

To hear, listen; to perceive sound

Là

To be; equating subject with predicate

dường

Seems, appears; indicates appearance or likelihood

nhấn chìm

To submerge, overwhelm; to push under and drown

hoàn toàn

Completely, entirely, totally; without any remainder