Definition

1. Verb:
   • To feast; to attend a banquet: To participate in a formal, often large and celebratory meal held on a special occasion such as a wedding, anniversary, or festival. The term emphasizes the ceremonial and communal aspect of the meal.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cả gia đình tôi sẽ về quê ăn cỗ cưới. (My whole family will return to the countryside to attend the wedding feast.)
  • Ngày Tết, hàng xóm thường mời nhau đến ăn cỗ. (During Tet, neighbors often invite each other to feast.)
  • Hôm nay làng tổ chức ăn cỗ mừng lúa mới. (Today the village is holding a feast to celebrate the new rice.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies more than just eating; it signifies participation in a significant social and cultural event. It carries a connotation of abundance, celebration, and community bonding.

Variants and Related Words

• Cỗ bàn (n): The feast or banquet itself, including the food and the arrangement.

  • Cỗ bàn đám cưới rất linh đình. (The wedding banquet was very lavish.)

• Đám cỗ (n): Refers to the feast event or party.

  • Đám cỗ hôm ấy có hàng trăm người tham dự. (That feast had hundreds of attendees.)

Synonyms

• To banquet: To partake in a large, formal meal.
• To feast: To eat and drink sumptuously at a celebratory event.

Related Idioms

• Ăn cỗ đi trước, lội nước đi sau: (Literally: Go first to the feast, go last into the water). A proverb advising one to seize opportunities for gain but to let others face difficulties or dangers first.
  • Anh ta luôn theo nguyên tắc "ăn cỗ đi trước, lội nước đi sau". (He always follows the principle of "being first for the feast and last for the flood.")

verb

1. to feast; to attend a banquet