Definition

1. Verb:
   • To keep watch, to stand guard (over a specific period of time): The act of staying awake and alert to guard or monitor something during a designated time, often a night watch. This usage is now considered archaic or literary in modern Vietnamese.
   • To time, to measure time (for an activity): The act of monitoring the clock or a timer to ensure an action occurs at a precise moment or for a specific duration. This is the most common modern usage.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To keep watch - archaic):
  • Quân lính phải canh giờ cẩn mật suốt đêm. (The soldiers had to keep a strict watch throughout the night.)
• Verb (To time):
  • Cô ấy canh giờ để lấy bánh ra khỏi lò. (She timed it to take the cake out of the oven.)
  • Hãy canh giờ 20 phút cho món trứng luộc. (Time the boiled eggs for 20 minutes.)
  • Tôi phải canh giờ thật kỹ để không bỏ lỡ chuyến tàu. (I have to time it very carefully so I don't miss the train.)

Advanced Usage

• "canh giờ nghiêm ngặt / cẩn mật": to keep a strict/vigilant watch (archaic).
  • Việc canh giờ nghiêm ngặt là nhiệm vụ tối quan trọng. (Keeping a strict watch was a task of utmost importance.)
• The concept is often expressed in modern language with phrases like "trông nom" (to look after), "bảo vệ" (to protect/guard), or "gác" (to stand guard) for the guarding meaning, and "hẹn giờ" (to set a timer) or "tính giờ" (to time) for the timing meaning.

Variants and Related Words

• Canh (verb): To guard, to watch over; to wait for an opportune moment. (e.g., - to guard the house; - to lie in wait).
• Giờ (noun): Hour; time.
• Hẹn giờ (verb): To set a timer.
• Tính giờ (verb): To time, to calculate time.
• Gác (verb): To stand guard.

Synonyms

• For "to keep watch": Trông nom, bảo vệ, gác (guard, watch over).
• For "to time": Tính giờ, hẹn giờ, đo thời gian (time, set a timer).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Canh chừng: To keep an eye on, to watch over carefully.
  • Hãy canh chừng đứa trẻ giúp tôi. (Please keep an eye on the child for me.)
• Canh me: To lie in wait, to watch for an opportunity (often with negative connotation).
  • Hắn ta canh me lúc tôi ra khỏi nhà. (He was lying in wait for when I left the house.)

Related Idioms

• Canh cánh bên lòng: To be constantly worried or preoccupied with something (literally, to have something "keeping watch" in one's heart).
  • Nỗi lo canh cánh bên lòng khiến cô ấy mất ngủ. (The constant worry kept her awake at night.)