Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To decline or excuse oneself by pretext of illness: The act of refusing an invitation, request, or duty by claiming to be sick, whether genuinely or as a polite excuse.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Anh ấy kiếu bệnh không đi dự tiệc. (He declined the party invitation on the pretext of illness.)
  • Cô ấy thường kiếu bệnh để tránh các cuộc họp không cần thiết. (She often excuses herself from unnecessary meetings by claiming illness.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase implies a social strategy to avoid an obligation without causing offense. It can be used whether the illness is real or fabricated for politeness.
  • Để giữ hòa khí, ông ấy chọn cách kiếu bệnh thay vì từ chối trực tiếp. (To maintain harmony, he chose to decline on grounds of illness rather than refuse directly.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kiếu từ (v): to decline, to excuse oneself (a more general term for declining, not necessarily due to illness).
  • Ông ấy kiếu từ vì bận việc gia đình. (He excused himself due to family business.)

Synonyms

• To beg off (due to illness): to ask to be excused from something.
• To plead illness: to give illness as a reason for not doing something.

Related Idioms

• Lấy cớ ốm: to use sickness as an excuse (a simpler, more direct phrase with a similar meaning).
  • Đừng lấy cớ ốm để trốn việc. (Don't use sickness as an excuse to avoid work.)

1. Decline on pretext of inllness