Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bring wedding offerings (according to traditional rituals) to the bride's family: This is the primary and most specific meaning. It refers to the traditional Vietnamese pre-wedding ceremony where the groom's family formally visits the bride's family, bringing specific ritual gifts (lễ vật) to officially ask for the bride's hand in marriage and to honor her family.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình nhà trai sẽ dẫn cưới vào sáng thứ Bảy. (The groom's family will bring the wedding offerings on Saturday morning.)
  • Lễ dẫn cưới thường có trầu cau, rượu, trà, và bánh phu thê. (The ceremony of bringing wedding offerings typically includes betel and areca, wine, tea, and husband-wife cakes.)
  • Họ đã chuẩn bị đầy đủ lễ vật để đi dẫn cưới. (They have fully prepared the ritual gifts to go and perform the wedding offering ceremony.)

Advanced Usage

• The act of dẫn cưới is a key part of the traditional Vietnamese wedding process (đám hỏi or lễ ăn hỏi). It signifies respect, formality, and the union of two families.
• While the core meaning is "to bring offerings," the term dẫn cưới can refer to the entire ceremonial event itself.

Variants and Related Words

• Lễ dẫn cưới (n): The wedding offering ceremony.
  • Lễ dẫn cưới diễn ra rất trang trọng. (The wedding offering ceremony took place very solemnly.)
• Đồ dẫn cưới / Lễ vật dẫn cưới (n): The wedding offerings/ritual gifts.
  • Đồ dẫn cưới được bày biện rất đẹp trên mâm. (The wedding offerings were arranged beautifully on trays.)
• Đi dẫn cưới (v): To go to perform the dẫn cưới ceremony.
  • Nhà trai đã đi dẫn cưới từ sớm. (The groom's family went to perform the wedding offering ceremony early.)

Synonyms

• Đám hỏi (n): Engagement ceremony (this is the broader ceremony that includes dẫn cưới).
• Lễ ăn hỏi (n): Engagement ceremony (synonymous with ).

Notes on Different Meanings

• Important Distinction: The word dẫn alone means "to lead" or "to guide." However, in the fixed compound dẫn cưới, it does not carry that meaning. Dẫn cưới is a specific cultural term and should not be interpreted literally as "to lead a wedding."
• The reference to dẫn dắt (to guide, to lead) is a separate word and is not a meaning of dẫn cưới.

1. Bring wedding offerings (according to traditional rituals) to the bridés
2. dẫn dắt
3. Guide, conduct, lead up to, direct
   • Biết cách dẫn dắt câu chuyện
     To know how to direct(to lead) the conversation up to (some subject)