Bắn sẽ

Definition

1. Verb (archaic):
   • To propose marriage through an archery contest: Refers to the specific historical act of winning a marriage proposal by successfully shooting an arrow in a contest, most famously from the story of Dou Yi in the Tang Dynasty.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The custom of "bắn sẽ" is recorded in ancient texts. (The custom of proposing marriage through an archery contest is recorded in ancient texts.)
  • Lý Uyên đã "bắn sẽ" và cưới được con gái của Đậu Nghi. (Ly Uyen succeeded in the archery contest for marriage and married Dou Yi's daughter.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to describe this specific legendary practice and is not used in modern conversational Vietnamese.

Word Origin

• The term originates from a famous story from the Tang Dynasty. Dou Yi had a daughter he wished to marry off. He painted a peacock on a screen and declared that whoever could shoot an arrow through the peacock's eye could marry her. Li Yuan (who later became Emperor Gaozu of Tang) succeeded, thus winning the marriage.

Note on Usage

• "Bắn sẽ" is an extremely rare and archaic compound verb. It is a fixed term from a historical anecdote and is not used in contemporary language. Modern Vietnamese does not use this term for the general act of proposing marriage.