Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pray for a male heir: The act of performing religious or spiritual rituals, often at a temple or pagoda, to beseech deities or Buddha for the blessing of a son to continue the family lineage.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người phụ nữ đã đi chùa cầu tự. (The woman went to the pagoda to pray for a male heir.)
  • Tục lệ cầu tự ngày xưa rất phổ biến. (The custom of praying for a male heir was very common in the past.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is deeply rooted in traditional Confucian family values where a male descendant is essential for ancestor worship and continuing the family line. The practice is now less common but remains a part of cultural and historical understanding.

Variants and Related Words

• Cầu con (v): To pray for a child (gender-neutral).
  • Họ thành tâm cầu con. (They sincerely prayed for a child.)

Synonyms

• To supplicate for a son: To humbly and earnestly pray for a male child.
• To beg the gods for an heir: To implore deities for a successor.

Related Cultural Concepts

• Nối dõi tông đường: To continue the family line. This is the primary objective behind the act of "cầu tự."
• Có con trai để thờ cúng tổ tiên: To have a son for ancestor worship. This explains the traditional motivation for the practice.

verb

1. To pray deity for a male heir
   • đi chùa cầu tự
     to go to a pagoda and pray to Buddha for a male heir