Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cry for mercy; to beg for forgiveness or leniency: The act of pleading or supplicating humbly, often in a desperate or sorrowful tone, to be spared from punishment, harm, or a difficult situation.
   • To implore; to beseech earnestly: To make a very serious and emotional request for help or for something to be done.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tên tội phạm đã kêu van trước tòa. (The criminal cried for mercy before the court.)
  • Cô ấy kêu van mẹ cho phép cô đi chơi. (She implored her mother to let her go out.)
  • Đừng kêu van nữa, anh phải chịu trách nhiệm cho hành động của mình. (Stop begging for mercy; you must take responsibility for your actions.)

Advanced Usage

• "kêu van xin xỏ": to beg and plead persistently.
  • Hắn ta chỉ biết kêu van xin xỏ chứ không chịu làm việc. (He only knows how to beg and plead but refuses to work.)
• Often used to describe a tone of voice that is pitiful, desperate, and submissive.

Variants and Related Words

• Kêu (verb): to call, to cry out, to make a sound.
• Van (verb): to beg, to plead. (Often used in combination with other words like "van xin").
• Van xin (verb): to beg, to plead. (A close synonym, sometimes used interchangeably with "kêu van" but can be more general).
• Cầu xin (verb): to pray for, to beg, to entreat. (Can have a more formal or religious connotation).
• Nài nỉ (verb): to insistently beg or persuade.

Synonyms

• Implore: to beg earnestly.
• Beseech: to ask urgently and fervently.
• Plead: to make an emotional appeal.
• Beg for mercy: to ask humbly to be spared from punishment.

Related Phrases

• Lời kêu van (noun phrase): a plea, a cry for mercy.
  • Lời kêu van của anh ta không được chấp nhận. (His plea for mercy was not accepted.)

Related Idioms

• Kêu van như đứa trẻ: to cry and beg like a child (emphasizing pitifulness).
  • Anh ta kêu van như đứa trẻ khi bị phát hiện. (He cried and begged like a child when he was caught.)

1. Cry mercy