Tứ tri

Dưới ánh trăng mờ, một người đàn ông mặc áo quan thời xưa đẩy nhẹ túi vàng về phía người đối diện để từ chối, thể hiện tinh thần tứ tri.

Definition

1. Noun (Proper Noun / Set Phrase):
   • The Four Knowers / The Four that Know: A classical Vietnamese idiom originating from a Chinese historical anecdote, referring to the four parties who are aware of a secret or an action: Heaven (or God), spirits (or deities), oneself, and the other person involved. It encapsulates the idea that no deed, however secretly performed, is truly unknown.
   • Moral Principle of Conscience: The concept serves as a moral admonition against wrongdoing, emphasizing that one's own conscience ("ta biết" - I know) is an ever-present witness, and that secrecy is an illusion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Làm việc xấu thì luôn nhớ đến "tứ tri". (When doing bad things, always remember the "Four Knowers".)
  • Câu chuyện "tứ tri" dạy ta về lương tâm và sự giám sát của đạo đức. (The story of the "Four Knowers" teaches us about conscience and the surveillance of morality.)
  • Ông ấy từ chối hối lộ, viện dẫn nguyên tắc "tứ tri". (He refused the bribe, citing the principle of the "Four Knowers".)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in a moral, philosophical, or literary context. It is a cultural reference point for discussions on integrity, conscience, and the futility of hiding one's misdeeds. It functions more as a cited concept than a standard noun.

Variants and Related Words

• Thiên tri, thần tri, ngô tri, tử tri: The original Chinese/Vietnamese enumeration from the anecdote: Heaven knows, spirits know, I know, you know.
• Lương tâm: (n) conscience. The core concept related to "ngô tri" (I know) within "tứ tri".
• Ám muội: (adj) secretive, dark, clandestine. Often used in the context that even such acts are known to the "tứ tri".

Synonyms

• Conscience: the inner sense of right and wrong.
• Moral witness: an entity that observes one's actions from an ethical standpoint.
• Omniscience (in a moral context): the state of knowing everything, attributed here to a collective moral universe.

Related Idioms

• Thiên tri, thần tri, ngô tri, tử tri: This is the full, explicit phrase that defines "tứ tri". It is the idiom itself.
  • Anh ta nói: "Thiên tri, thần tri, ngô tri, tử tri", sao anh dám làm việc này? (He said: "Heaven knows, spirits know, I know, you know", how dare you do this?)
• Trời cao có mắt: Heaven has eyes. A related idiom expressing that divine justice sees all.
• Cẩn thận giữ mình: To be cautious and guard oneself (morally). A practical lesson derived from the "tứ tri" concept.