Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Frightened, afraid, scared: "Kinh cụ" describes a state of being filled with fear or terror, often due to something perceived as extremely dangerous or dreadful. This word is now considered archaic or literary in modern Vietnamese.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tử sinh kinh cụ làm nau mấy lần. (Life and death have frightened me several times.)
  • Nghe tiếng gầm trong rừng, lòng nó kinh cụ. (Hearing the roar in the forest, his/her heart was filled with fear.)

Advanced Usage

• Literary/Archaic Context: The word "kinh cụ" is primarily found in classical literature, poetry, or historical texts. It conveys a deep, profound sense of dread.
  • Trong thơ cổ, cảnh chiến trường thường gợi lên nỗi kinh cụ. (In ancient poetry, scenes of the battlefield often evoke a sense of dread.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kinh (v): To be afraid, to fear. Often used in compound words.
  • Kinh hãi (adj): Terrified, horrified.
  • Kinh sợ (v/n): To fear; fear.
• Cụ (v, archaic): To be afraid of. Rarely used alone in modern language.

Synonyms

• Sợ hãi (adj/v): Afraid, frightened (the most common modern equivalent).
• Khiếp sợ (adj/v): To be terrified.
• Kinh hãi (adj): Horrified, appalled.

Related Idioms

• Kinh cụ như thấy cọp: As frightened as seeing a tiger. (An idiom emphasizing extreme fear.)
  • Nghe tin ấy, anh ta kinh cụ như thấy cọp. (Hearing that news, he was as frightened as seeing a tiger.)

1. (cũ) Be frightened