Definitions

1. Verb:
   • To adore, to venerate, to worship: To show deep respect, reverence, and devotion, typically in a religious or spiritual context by visiting a sacred place, shrine, or monument. It implies an act of paying homage through physical presence and ritual observance.
   • To make a pilgrimage to: To travel to a holy site for the purpose of religious devotion and worship.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hàng năm, hàng nghìn người đến chiêm bái tại ngôi chùa cổ này. (Every year, thousands of people come to venerate at this ancient pagoda.)
  • Ông ấy đã chiêm bái trước bàn thờ tổ tiên. (He paid homage before the ancestral altar.)
  • Mục đích của chuyến đi là để chiêm bái các thánh tích. (The purpose of the trip was to worship at the holy relics.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đi chiêm bái": To go on a pilgrimage/to go to worship.

  • Nhiều tín đồ Phật giáo đi chiêm bái ở Ấn Độ. (Many Buddhists go on a pilgrimage to India.)

• "Nơi chiêm bái": A place of worship/pilgrimage site.

  • Đây là một nơi chiêm bái nổi tiếng. (This is a famous place of pilgrimage.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sự chiêm bái (Noun): The act of adoration/veneration/worship.

  • Sự chiêm bái thành kính của các tín đồ. (The devout worship of the followers.)

• Chiêm ngưỡng (Verb): To admire, to contemplate (often used for art, scenery, or beauty, but can overlap in reverent observation). This word shares the root "chiêm" (to look up to/contemplate) but is less strictly religious.

  • Chiêm ngưỡng vẻ đẹp của bức tranh. (To admire the beauty of the painting.)

Synonyms

• Thờ phụng: To worship, to revere.
• Tôn kính: To respect deeply, to venerate.
• Hành hương: To make a pilgrimage (emphasizes the journey aspect).

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Context: The word chiêm bái is almost exclusively used in religious, spiritual, or deeply respectful contexts involving sacred sites, relics, ancestors, or deities. It is not used for everyday admiration.
• Nuance: It combines "chiêm" (to look up at/contemplate with reverence) and "bái" (to bow/to prostrate), thus strongly implying a physical act of devotion within a solemn space.

verb

1. to adore