Definitions

1. Adjective:
   • Reasonable, rational, logical: Conforming to reason, logic, or common sense; making sense within a given context.
   • Proper, appropriate: Being suitable or fitting according to accepted principles or norms.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Lời giải thích của anh ấy rất hợp lẽ. (His explanation is very reasonable.)
  • Hành động đó không hợp lẽ chút nào. (That action is not logical at all.)
  • Chúng ta cần một quyết định hợp lẽ. (We need a rational decision.)

Advanced Usage

• "hợp lẽ tự nhiên": conforming to nature; natural and logical.
  • Sinh, lão, bệnh, tử là quy luật hợp lẽ tự nhiên. (Birth, aging, sickness, and death are laws that conform to nature.)
• "hợp lẽ đời": conforming to the ways of the world; worldly-wise or pragmatic.
  • Cách cư xử đó mới là hợp lẽ đời. (That manner of conduct is what is pragmatic.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hợp lý (adj): Reasonable, rational. (Often used interchangeably with "hợp lẽ" in modern Vietnamese, though "hợp lý" is more common.)
• Phải lẽ (adj): Right, proper, justified.
• Vô lý (adj): Irrational, unreasonable. (Antonym)

Synonyms

• Phải chăng: Reasonable, fair.
• Có lý: Having reason, sensible.
• Hợp tình hợp lý: Both reasonable and emotionally fitting.

Notes on Usage

• "Hợp lẽ" is a Sino-Vietnamese word (Hán-Việt) derived from the characters 合 (hợp - to fit, to conform) and 理 (lẽ - reason, principle). It carries a slightly more formal or classical nuance compared to the more common "hợp lý".
• It is often used in philosophical, ethical, or formal discussions about principles, reasoning, and propriety.