cung kính
Definition
Adjective:
- Respectful; reverent: Showing deep respect, deference, or veneration, often through one's manner, attitude, or actions.
- Courteously deferential: Behaving with formal politeness and honor towards someone considered superior, elder, or worthy of high esteem.
Verb (less common):
- To show reverence; to treat with great respect: To act in a manner that expresses profound respect or veneration.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Thái độ cung kính của học sinh làm thầy giáo cảm động. (The student's respectful attitude moved the teacher.)
- Anh ấy cúi đầu cung kính trước bàn thờ tổ tiên. (He bowed reverently before the ancestral altar.)
Verb:
- Con cháu phải biết cung kính ông bà. (Descendants must know how to show reverence to their grandparents.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "cung kính" often implies a formal, solemn, and deeply sincere form of respect, more profound than everyday politeness. It is commonly used in contexts involving elders, ancestors, teachers, deities, or sacred objects.
- It can describe both an internal feeling and its external manifestation, such as a bow, a carefully chosen word, or a specific ritual action.
Variants and Related Words
Kính cẩn (adj): Respectful and careful in manner; deferential.
- Cô ấy lắng nghe một cách kính cẩn. (She listened deferentially.)
Tôn kính (v): To revere, to hold in high esteem.
- Nhân dân tôn kính vị lãnh tụ. (The people revere the leader.)
Synonyms
- Respectful: Feeling or showing deference.
- Reverent: Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect.
- Deferential: Showing humility and submission to the judgment or will of another.
Related Idioms
- Cung kính bất như mệnh lệnh: An idiom suggesting that extreme, formal respect can sometimes create distance, unlike a more straightforward, commanding relationship. It highlights a nuance where excessive reverence may not always be the most effective form of interaction.