Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To pray; to say prayers: The act of communicating with a deity or higher power, often by reciting set words or speaking from the heart in a religious context.
   • To be in prayer: The state of being engaged in the act of praying.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Mỗi tối, bà đều cầu kinh trước khi đi ngủ. (Every evening, she says her prayers before going to sleep.)
  • Các tín hữu đang chăm chú cầu kinh trong nhà thờ. (The faithful are devoutly praying in the church.)

Advanced Usage

• "cầu kinh khấn vái": to pray and make obeisances; to engage in devout worship involving both prayer and physical gestures of respect.
  • Người dân đến đền chùa cầu kinh khấn vái, mong một năm bình an. (People come to the temples to pray and make obeisances, hoping for a peaceful year.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cầu nguyện (v): to pray; to supplicate. This is a more general synonym.
  • Cầu nguyện cho hòa bình thế giới. (To pray for world peace.)
• Đọc kinh (v): to recite prayers/scriptures. This emphasizes the recitation aspect.
  • Các sư đang đọc kinh trong chánh điện. (The monks are reciting scriptures in the main hall.)

Synonyms

• Khấn (v): to pray (often silently or in a whisper, commonly used in folk beliefs).
• Cầu khẩn (v): to beseech; to implore (emphasizes earnest pleading).

Related Phrases

• "Ăn chay cầu kinh": to fast and pray; to observe dietary restrictions while praying.
  • Cụ bà có thói quen ăn chay cầu kinh vào những ngày rằm. (The old lady has a habit of fasting and praying on full moon days.)

Related Idioms

• "Tha hương cầu thực, đất khách cầu kinh": (Literally: Away from home, one seeks a living; in a foreign land, one seeks prayers). This idiom reflects the comfort and community found in religious practice when one is far from home.
  • Xa quê, anh ấy tìm đến nhà thờ như một chỗ dựa tinh thần, đúng là "tha hương cầu thực, đất khách cầu kinh". (Far from his homeland, he turned to the church for spiritual support, truly reflecting the saying about seeking sustenance and prayers in a foreign land.)

1. To say prayers