Definition

1. Noun:
   • Hecatomb: In ancient history, a "bách sinh" refers to a large-scale public sacrifice, typically involving one hundred cattle or other animals, offered to gods or deities during important religious ceremonies or to commemorate significant events.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Lễ bách sinh là một nghi thức quan trọng trong một số nền văn hóa cổ đại. (The hecatomb was an important ritual in some ancient cultures.)
  • Nhà vua đã tổ chức lễ bách sinh để tạ ơn các vị thần sau chiến thắng. (The king organized a hecatomb to thank the gods after the victory.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is almost exclusively used in historical, academic, or literary contexts to describe ancient sacrificial practices. It is not used in modern everyday language.

Variants and Related Words

• Lễ bách sinh: This is the full, more formal term. "Bách sinh" is its shortened form.
• Tế lễ (n): Ritual, ceremony. A more general term for sacrificial rites.
• Hy sinh (v/n): To sacrifice; a sacrifice. A modern and general term.

Synonyms

• Đại tế: Grand sacrifice. A term for a large sacrificial ceremony.
• Tế thần: To sacrifice to the gods. Describes the act of offering sacrifices to deities.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is specifically a sacrifice of one hundred head of cattle. It symbolizes a grand, lavish, and solemn offering.
• In a broader, more figurative literary sense, it can sometimes be used to describe any great slaughter or massive loss of life, similar to the use of "hecatomb" in English, though this usage is rare.

1. (Lễ bách sinh) (lịch sử) Hecatomb