Definition

1. Verb:
   • To become a genie, to achieve sainthood, to be canonized: This term describes the process or event of a person, especially a heroic or virtuous figure, being elevated to a divine or saintly status after death, often in folk beliefs or legends. It implies a transformation into a powerful spiritual being worthy of worship.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Truyền thuyết cho rằng Phù Đổng hiển thánh sau khi đuổi giặc ngoại xâm. (Legend has it that the Phu Dong lad became a genie after driving out the foreign aggressors.)
  • Nhiều vị anh hùng dân tộc được nhân dân tin rằng đã hiển thánh. (Many national heroes are believed by the people to have achieved sainthood.)
  • Theo tín ngưỡng dân gian, những người có công lớn có thể hiển thánh và phù hộ cho dân làng. (According to folk beliefs, people of great merit can become saints and protect the villagers.)

Advanced Usage

• "Được tôn làm hiển thánh": to be revered/worshipped as a saint/genie.
  • Ông được người dân trong vùng tôn làm hiển thánh. (He is revered by the local people as a saint.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thánh (n): saint, genie, holy figure.
  • đền thờ các vị thánh (a temple for the saints)
• Hiển linh (v): to manifest spiritual power, to show divine presence.
  • Tương truyền vị thần đó rất hay hiển linh. (It is said that deity often manifests its power.)

Synonyms

• Thành thánh: to become a saint (similar meaning, often used interchangeably).
• Phong thánh: to canonize (often implies a formal process by a religious institution).

Notes on Meaning

• Cultural/Religious Context: "Hiển thánh" is deeply rooted in Vietnamese folk religion and hero worship. It is less about formal canonization in an organized religion (like Catholicism) and more about a popular belief in the apotheosis of a virtuous person.
• Nuance: It often carries a sense of miraculous transformation and enduring spiritual presence that continues to interact with and protect the living community.

1. Become a genie, achieve sainthood
   • Truyền thuyết cho rằng Phù Đổng hiển thánh sau khi đuổi giặc ngoại xâm
     Legend has it that the Phudong lad became a genie after driving out the foreign aggressots