Definition

1. Verb:
   • To prostrate oneself; to kowtow: To kneel, place one's hands together, and bow one's head or upper body to the ground as a formal, deep act of respect, worship, or supplication, often performed before an altar, a deity, or a revered person.
   • To pray (to): To offer prayers, typically in the context of a formal or ritualistic plea to a deity or higher power.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con cháu lạy trước bàn thờ tổ tiên. (The descendants prostrate themselves before the ancestral altar.)
  • Lạy ông, ông đừng nói nữa! (I beg you, please stop talking!)
  • Dân làng lạy Trời cầu mưa. (The villagers pray to Heaven for rain.)

Advanced Usage

• "lạy tạ": To bow in grateful thanks or farewell.
  • Anh ấy lạy tạ thầy giáo cũ trước khi lên đường. (He bowed in gratitude to his old teacher before leaving.)
• "lạy sống lạy chết": To beg desperately, as if one's life depended on it.
  • Cô ấy lạy sống lạy chết xin anh tha thứ. (She begged him desperately for forgiveness.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạy Phật (v): To pray to Buddha; to prostrate before Buddha.
  • Bà cụ lên chùa lạy Phật mỗi tháng. (The old lady goes to the pagoda to pray to Buddha every month.)
• Lạy cụ / lạy bà / lạy ông (interjection): A respectful or pleading form of address, often used to begin an earnest request or to show deference.
  • Lạy bà, bà giúp cháu với! (Please, ma'am, help me!)

Synonyms

• To prostrate: To lie flat on the ground face down, especially in reverence or submission.
• To kowtow: To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in worship or deep respect.
• To beseech / to implore: To ask someone urgently and fervently to do something.

Related Idioms

• Lạy như tế sao: To bow/prostrate repeatedly and profusely (like in a star-worshipping ritual).
  • Nghe tin dữ, bà lạy như tế sao trước bàn thờ. (Upon hearing the bad news, she prostrated herself repeatedly before the altar.)
• Lạy ông tôi ở bụi này: To confess or admit guilt without being asked (literally, "I bow to you, my ancestor in this bush").
  • Chưa hỏi đến, nó đã lạy ông tôi ở bụi này rồi. (Before he was even questioned, he had already confessed.)

verb

1. to prostrate oneself; to kowtow
   • lạy người nào
     to prostrate oneself before someone. to pray
   • lạy Trời
     to pray to God