Definition

1. Verb:
   • To worship, to make offerings in a ritual: "cúng tế" refers to the act of performing a solemn ceremony to worship deities, ancestors, or spirits, typically involving the presentation of offerings such as food, incense, and paper votives.
   • To hold a sacrificial ceremony: It describes conducting a formal, often elaborate, ritual to show reverence, seek blessings, or commemorate the deceased.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình tôi cúng tế tổ tiên vào dịp Tết Nguyên Đán. (My family worships our ancestors during Lunar New Year.)
  • Ngôi làng tổ chức cúng tế thần linh để cầu mong một mùa màng bội thu. (The village holds a ceremony to worship the spirits, praying for a bountiful harvest.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lễ cúng tế": A worship/sacrificial ceremony.
  • Lễ cúng tế được tiến hành rất trang nghiêm. (The sacrificial ceremony was conducted with great solemnity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cúng (verb): To offer, to worship (a more general term for making offerings, often on a smaller or more frequent scale than "cúng tế").

  • Bà thường cúng hoa quả trên bàn thờ. (She often offers fruits on the altar.)

• Tế (verb): To sacrifice, to perform a rite (often used in formal or large-scale ritual contexts, and commonly combined with "cúng").

  • Tế lễ (verb/noun): To perform a rite; a ritual ceremony.

• Tế lễ (verb/noun): To perform rituals; ritual ceremonies.

  • Nghi thức tế lễ rất phức tạp. (The ritual procedures are very complex.)

Synonyms

• Thờ cúng (verb): To worship, to venerate (emphasizes the aspect of reverence and regular practice).
• Hiến tế (verb): To sacrifice (can imply the offering of something valuable, sometimes an animal, in a ritual).

Related Phrases

• Cúng bái (verb): To worship, to make obeisances (often implies the physical acts of bowing and offering).
  • Mọi người thành kính cúng bái trước bàn thờ. (People reverently worship before the altar.)

Related Idioms

• "Cúng tế khấn vái": To worship and pray fervently (emphasizes the actions of making offerings and praying).
  • Dân làng cúng tế khấn vái để xin thần sông phù hộ. (The villagers worship and pray fervently to ask for the river god's protection.)