cất bút
Definition
- Verb:
- To begin writing, to start writing: "cất bút" means to commence the act of writing, often implying the initial, deliberate action of putting pen to paper to start a piece of writing.
- To pick up the pen (to write): Literally "to raise/lift the pen," it figuratively describes the moment one starts to write.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau nhiều ngày suy nghĩ, cuối cùng anh ấy cũng cất bút viết lá thư. (After many days of contemplation, he finally began to write the letter.)
- Nhà văn cất bút từ sáng sớm và viết liền một mạch. (The writer started writing early in the morning and wrote continuously.)
Advanced Usage
- "cất bút lên": A slightly more emphatic form with the same meaning.
- Cô ấy cất bút lên, định viết vài dòng tâm sự. (She picked up her pen, intending to write a few lines of her thoughts.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bắt đầu viết (verb phrase): To start writing. (A more common, direct synonym.)
- Đặt bút (verb): To put down the pen (to write). (Often used similarly to mean to start writing, but can also imply the act of writing itself.)
- Viết (verb): To write. (The general action.)
Synonyms
- Khởi bút (verb): To commence writing. (A more literary synonym.)
- Bắt đầu (verb): To begin, to start. (General term.)
Related Idioms
- "Cất bút lên là viết": To be able to write fluently and immediately upon starting.
- Anh ấy là nhà văn tài năng, cất bút lên là viết. (He is a talented writer; he starts writing fluently as soon as he picks up the pen.)