làm ma
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To hold burial rites/funeral ceremonies: The primary meaning refers to performing the traditional rituals and ceremonies for a deceased person, particularly in a Vietnamese cultural context. It encompasses the entire process of organizing and conducting a funeral.
- (Archaic, rare) To become a ghost/spirit: An older, less common usage meaning to die and become a ghost.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Gia đình đang làm ma cho ông nội. (The family is holding the funeral rites for their grandfather.)
- Theo phong tục, làm ma phải đủ ba ngày. (According to custom, holding the funeral must last a full three days.)
- Câu chuyện dân gian kể về người chết làm ma trở về báo oán. (The folktale tells of a person who died and became a ghost returning to seek revenge.)
Advanced Usage
- "làm ma chu tất": To hold complete/proper burial rites.
- Con cái có bổn phận làm ma chu tất cho cha mẹ. (Children have the duty to hold proper funeral rites for their parents.)
Variants and Related Words
- Đám ma (Noun): The funeral ceremony/event itself.
- Đám ma ông ấy được tổ chức trang trọng. (His funeral was held solemnly.)
- Ma (Noun): Ghost, spirit.
- Tang lễ (Noun): Funeral rites (a more formal, general term).
Synonyms
- Cử hành tang lễ: To conduct funeral rites.
- Tổ chức đám tang: To organize a funeral.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Sống dầu đèn, chết kèn trống: (Idiom: To live with oil lamps, to die with drums and trumpets). This idiom emphasizes the importance of having a proper, ceremonious funeral ("làm ma") after death, contrasting with a potentially humble life.
- Làm ma không chồng: (Archaic phrase: To become a ghost without a husband). Refers to a woman who dies unmarried, based on old beliefs about the afterlife.
- Hold burial rites for
- Làm ma chu tất cho bốTo hold decent burial rites for one's dead father, to give one's father a decent funeral