kêu xin
Definition
- Verb:
- To implore; to beseech; to plead: To make a very serious, urgent, and often emotional request to someone in a position of authority or power, asking for something needed or desired. It conveys a sense of desperation and humility.
- To beg; to entreat: To ask for something earnestly or humbly, especially from someone who can grant a favor or mercy.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đứa trẻ kêu xin mẹ mua cho đồ chơi. (The child implored his mother to buy him a toy.)
- Người tù kêu xin lòng thương xót của quan tòa. (The prisoner begged for the judge's mercy.)
- Họ kêu xin sự giúp đỡ từ những người qua đường. (They pleaded for help from passersby.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "kêu xin" is often used in formal, literary, or dramatic contexts. It implies a significant power imbalance, where the person doing the pleading is in a vulnerable or subordinate position.
- It frequently appears in narratives involving appeals for justice, mercy, survival, or critical assistance.
Variants and Related Words
Cầu xin (v): to pray for; to beg. This is a very close synonym, often with a slightly more formal or religious connotation.
- Cô ấy cầu xin thần linh phù hộ. (She prayed to the deities for protection.)
Van xin (v): to beg persistently and pitifully.
- Nó van xin đừng bị phạt. (He pitifully begged not to be punished.)
Synonyms
- Implore: To beg urgently or piteously.
- Beseech: To ask someone urgently and fervently to do something.
- Plead: To make an emotional appeal.
- Entreat: To ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something.
Related Idioms
Kêu xin tha mạng: to beg for one's life.
- Kẻ cướp quỳ xuống kêu xin tha mạng. (The robber knelt down to beg for his life.)
Kêu xin công lý: to plead for justice.
- Gia đình nạn nhân kêu xin công lý. (The victim's family pleaded for justice.)