cơn cớ

Cô ấy lấy cơn cớ bị ốm để nghỉ làm.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Cause; reason; motive: A fact, circumstance, or justification that provides the basis for an action, event, or feeling. It refers to the "why" behind something.
   • Pretext; excuse: A stated reason used to justify an action, which may not be the true or primary reason.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta tức giận không có cơn cớ rõ ràng. (He got angry without a clear reason.)
  • Cô ấy lấy cơn cớ bị ốm để nghỉ làm. (She used being sick as a pretext to take a day off.)
  • Tôi muốn biết cơn cớ của sự thay đổi đột ngột này. (I want to know the cause of this sudden change.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is considered somewhat formal or literary in modern Vietnamese and is often used in written contexts or formal speech to denote a cause or motive.

Variants and Related Words

• Lý do (n): Reason, cause. This is a more common and neutral synonym.
  • Anh ấy đưa ra lý do chính đáng. (He gave a valid reason.)
• Nguyên nhân (n): Cause, origin (often for events or phenomena).
  • Tìm hiểu nguyên nhân vụ cháy. (Investigate the cause of the fire.)
• Cớ (n): Excuse, pretext. This is a shorter, sometimes more casual form.
  • Đừng kiếm cớ nữa! (Stop making excuses!)

Synonyms

• Reason: A basis for an action or opinion.
• Motive: A reason for doing something.
• Pretext: A false reason used to conceal a real intention.

Related Idioms

• Vô cơn vô cớ / Không cơn không cớ: For no reason at all; without any apparent cause.
  • Nó lại khóc vô cơn vô cớ. (He started crying for no reason at all.)