Definition

1. Verb (archaic/literary):
   • To encourage people to do good, to promote virtuous deeds: The word "khuyến thiện" describes the act of advising, urging, or motivating others to perform good and righteous actions. It carries a moral and ethical connotation, often used in classical, literary, or formal contexts related to moral education and societal betterment.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mục đích của hội này là khuyến thiện và trừng ác kẻ xấu. (The purpose of this association is to encourage good and punish evildoers.)
  • Các bậc hiền nhân thường dùng lời hay ý đẹp để khuyến thiện. (Virtuous sages often used beautiful words and noble ideas to encourage good deeds.)
  • Sách cổ thường ghi chép những câu chuyện khuyến thiện. (Ancient books often record stories that encourage people to do good.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is primarily found in classical Vietnamese texts, historical documents, proverbs, or formal writings about ethics and morality. It is rarely used in modern everyday conversation but may appear in philosophical, religious, or cultural discussions.
• It often implies a systematic or pedagogical effort to foster morality within a community.

Variants and Related Words

• Khuyến (verb): To encourage, to advise, to urge. A common root in many compound words.
• Thiện (noun/adjective): Goodness, good, virtuous. The opposite of "ác" (evil).
• Khuyến học (verb): To encourage learning/education.
• Khuyến nông (verb): To encourage/develop agriculture.
• Từ thiện (noun/adjective): Charity, charitable.

Synonyms

• Khuyên răn điều thiện: To advise towards good.
• Cổ vũ việc lành: To cheer on/encourage good deeds (less archaic).
• Động viên làm việc tốt: To motivate/encourage doing good things (modern equivalent).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Khuyến thiện trừng ác": A classical four-character idiom meaning "Encourage good and punish evil." This phrase encapsulates a fundamental principle of traditional moral governance and personal cultivation.
  • Truyền thống của chúng ta luôn đề cao tinh thần khuyến thiện trừng ác. (Our tradition always upholds the spirit of encouraging good and punishing evil.)

1. (cũ) Encourage people to do good, encourage good actions