Definition

1. Verb:
   • To depend on, to rely on, to count on (someone for help): To trust in someone's ability or willingness to provide assistance or support.
   • To rely vaingloriously on, to presume upon (one's own advantage): To depend on something (like wealth, talent, or position) with an arrogant or presumptuous attitude, often leading to overconfidence.

Usage Examples

• To depend on, to rely on:
  • Cậy anh đi giúp cho. (I rely on you to go for me.)
  • Trẻ cậy cha, già cậy con. (When young, one relies on one's father; when old, on one's children.)
• To rely vaingloriously on:
  • Cậy của. (To rely vaingloriously on one's wealth.)
  • Cậy tài. (To rely vaingloriously on one's talent.)
  • Chó cậy gần nhà, gà cậy gần chuồng. (A dog relies vaingloriously on his nearby master's house, a cock on his nearby coop; meaning to be arrogant because of a perceived advantage.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cậy vào": To rely on, to depend on (often with a nuance of placing trust in an external factor).
  • Cậy vào thế lực của cha. (To rely on/lean on the influence of one's father.)
• "Cậy có": To rely on the fact that one has something (often leading to negative traits like arrogance).
  • Cậy có thành tích sinh ra kiêu căng. (Relying vaingloriously on his achievements, he became proud.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ỷ lại (verb): To depend on, to be dependent (often with a negative connotation of passivity or lack of effort).
• Nhờ cậy (verb): To ask for help, to rely on (a compound word combining "nhờ" - to request help - and "cậy").
  • Việc này phải nhờ cậy người quen. (For this matter, one must rely on/ask a familiar person for help.)
• Cậy thế (verb phrase): To presume upon one's power or position.

Synonyms

• Dựa vào: To lean on, to rely on.
• Trông cậy: To look to for support, to count on.
• Ỷ vào: To depend on (can have a similar negative connotation of presumptuous reliance).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Chẳng cậy được ai: Cannot rely on/count on anyone.
  • Việc này chẳng cậy được ai. (For this matter, I can't count on anyone.)
• Có tài mà cậy chi tài: Even if you have talent, why be arrogant about it? (A line from Nguyễn Du's poetry advising against pride in one's abilities.)

noun

1. Persimmon

verb

1. To depend on, to rely on, to count on (someone for help..)
   • cậy anh đi giúp cho
     I rely on you to go for me
   • trẻ cậy cha, già cậy con
     when young one relies on one's father, when old on one's children
2. To rely vaingloriously on
   • cậy của
     to rely vaingloriously on one's wealth
   • cậy tài
     to rely vaingloriously on one's talent
   • cậy có thành tích sinh ra kiêu căng
     relying vaingloriously on his achievements, he became proud
   • chó cậy gần nhà, gà cậy gần chuồng
     a dog relies vaingloriously on his nearby master's house, a cock on his nearby coop; as proud as a cock on his own dunghill