Definition

1. Verb:
   • To greet, to salute: To express respect, friendliness, or acknowledgment upon meeting or parting, often with words or gestures.
   • To bid farewell, to say goodbye: To express good wishes when parting.
   • To solicit, to invite (customers): To actively invite or encourage people, typically to buy goods or use services.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To greet/salute):
  • Tôi chào cô giáo khi gặp ở cổng trường. (I greet my teacher when I meet her at the school gate.)
  • Mọi người đứng dậy chào cờ vào sáng thứ Hai. (Everyone stands up to salute the flag on Monday morning.)
• Verb (To bid farewell):
  • Anh ấy vẫy tay chào tạm biệt mọi người. (He waved his hand to say goodbye to everyone.)
  • Chào chị, tôi về đây! (Goodbye, I'm heading home now!)
• Verb (To solicit):
  • Nhân viên đứng trước cửa hàng chào khách rất nhiệt tình. (The staff member in front of the shop solicits customers very enthusiastically.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chào hỏi": To greet and exchange pleasantries. (Note: This is a compound word listed here as a common collocation).
  • Đến nhà ai cũng phải biết chào hỏi. (When visiting someone's house, one must know how to greet people.)
• "Chào mừng": To welcome (often used for formal or celebratory occasions). (Note: This is a compound word listed here as a common collocation).
  • Chúng tôi tổ chức buổi lễ để chào mừng các vị khách quý. (We are holding a ceremony to welcome the distinguished guests.)
• "Chào đời": To be born, to come into the world. (Idiomatic/figurative usage).
  • Em bé chào đời vào lúc bình minh. (The baby was born at dawn.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lời chào (n): A greeting, a salute.
  • Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ. (A greeting is more valuable than a feast. - Vietnamese proverb about politeness.)
• Chào hàng (v): To offer goods for sale, to solicit sales. (This is a compound verb where "chào" retains its core meaning of 'soliciting').
  • Công ty cử nhân viên đi chào hàng sản phẩm mới. (The company sent staff to promote/solicit sales for the new product.)

Synonyms

• Chúc: To wish (e.g., - to congratulate). Differs as it focuses on expressing good wishes rather than the initial act of greeting.
• Gặp: To meet. Differs as it describes the encounter itself, not the polite act that accompanies it.
• Mời: To invite. Similar to the 'solicit' meaning but broader, not exclusively commercial.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations)

• Chào cờ (v): To salute the flag (a specific ceremonial greeting).
• Chào từ biệt (v): To bid farewell, to say goodbye.
• Chào giá (v): To quote a price (in business, extending from the 'solicit' meaning).

Related Idioms

• "Chào nhau bằng nắm đấm": To greet each other with fists (to start a fight immediately upon meeting). Used figuratively to describe a hostile or confrontational start to an interaction.
• "Trăm nghe không bằng một thấy, trăm thấy không bằng một chào": Hearing a hundred times isn't equal to seeing once, seeing a hundred times isn't equal to one greeting. (Emphasizes the importance of direct, personal contact and courtesy.)

verb

1. To greet, to salute
   • chào cờ
     to salute the flag
   • chào từ biệt
     to say good-bye
   • ngả mũ chào thầy giáo
     to take off one's hat and greet one's teacher
   • chào chị, tôi về
     good-bye madam (miss, sister...), I am going back
2. To solicit
   • nhà hàng chào khách
     the shopkeeper solicits customers, the shopkeeper solicits people for their custom
   • chào hàng
     to solicit customers to buy one's goods, to solicit custom for one's goods, to cry one's wares