hương hoả

Gia đình anh ấy rất coi trọng việc hương hoả.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Ancestral worship; the practice of maintaining the family altar and performing rites for ancestors: "hương hoả" refers to the traditional Vietnamese custom of honoring deceased ancestors through rituals, offerings, and the upkeep of the family altar. It embodies the duty to preserve the family lineage and memory.
   • The portion of an inheritance dedicated to funding ancestral worship: In a legal or customary context, "hương hoả" can also mean the specific share of property or assets set aside to finance the ongoing rituals and maintenance of the ancestral altar.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Gia đình anh ấy rất coi trọng việc hương hoả. (His family places great importance on ancestral worship.)
  • Theo di chúc, một phần tài sản được dành làm hương hoả. (According to the will, a portion of the estate was designated as the fund for ancestral rites.)

Advanced Usage

• "giữ hương hoả": to maintain the ancestral worship; to uphold the family's duty of honoring ancestors.

  • Là con trai trưởng, anh có trách nhiệm giữ hương hoả. (As the eldest son, he has the responsibility to maintain the ancestral worship.)

• "phần hương hoả": the ancestral worship share (of an inheritance).

  • Phần hương hoả thường được giao cho người con trai trưởng quản lý. (The ancestral worship share is usually entrusted to the eldest son to manage.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hương khói (n): incense and smoke; a poetic term referring to the offerings and rituals for ancestors.

  • Ngày giỗ, bàn thờ đầy đủ hương khói. (On the death anniversary, the altar is complete with incense and offerings.)

• Thờ cúng tổ tiên (v/n): to worship ancestors / ancestor worship. This is a more general, descriptive phrase for the practice.

  • Thờ cúng tổ tiên là một nét đẹp văn hóa. (Ancestor worship is a beautiful cultural feature.)

Synonyms

• Thờ phụng tổ tiên: worship of ancestors.
• Việc thờ cúng: the act of worship.

Related Phrases

• Nối tiếp hương hoả: to continue the ancestral line and its rites.
  • Anh ấy là người nối tiếp hương hoả của dòng họ. (He is the one continuing the ancestral lineage and worship for the clan.)

Related Idioms

• "Tắt hương tàn lửa": (The incense dies out, the fire extinguishes); an idiom describing the end of a family line or the cessation of ancestral worship.
  • Cụ lo sợ dòng họ sẽ tắt hương tàn lửa. (The elder feared the clan would die out and its worship cease.)