Definition

1. Noun:
   • Bell-stick, wooden bell-hammer: A specialized wooden hammer or mallet used to strike a temple bell, particularly in a Buddhist or traditional context. This term is primarily found in literary and older texts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhà sư cầm chày kình, từ từ gõ vào đại hồng chung. (The monk held the bell-stick and slowly struck the great bell.)
  • Tiếng chày kình điểm nhịp trong không gian tĩnh lặng của ngôi chùa cổ. (The sound of the wooden bell-hammer marked the rhythm in the serene space of the ancient pagoda.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is considered literary and archaic. In modern Vietnamese, more common terms like "dùi chuông" (bell striker) are used in everyday language. "Chày kình" evokes a classical, poetic, or religious atmosphere.

Variants and Related Words

• Dùi chuông (n): Bell striker, bell clapper. This is the modern, common term for the object used to hit a bell.
• Chày (n): Pestle, mallet. A general term for a pounding tool.
• Kình (n): (Archaic) Can refer to a whale or something immense/vast. In this compound, its meaning is specific to the bell-stick.

Synonyms

• Dùi chuông: Bell striker/clapper.
• Búa chuông: Bell hammer (less common).

Notes on Meaning

• The term is a compound noun. Its meaning is specific and not derived from the separate meanings of "chày" (pestle) and "kình" (whale/vast) in modern usage. It functions as a fixed lexical unit for the bell-hammer.
• It is exclusively used in the context of striking large bells, typically in temples or pagodas.

1. (văn chương, cũ) Bell-stick, wooden bell-hammer