lẽ
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Reason; rationale; cause: The principle, basis, or logical justification used to explain an event, action, or feeling. It refers to the "why" behind something.
- Principle; natural law; truth: An accepted truth, moral principle, or fundamental law governing nature or human affairs (often found in compound words).
- (Archaic) Secondary wife; concubine: In traditional society, a term for a second-rank wife or a concubine, subordinate to the principal wife.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Reason):
- Anh ấy từ chối vì nhiều lẽ. (He refused for many reasons.)
- Tôi hiểu lẽ tại sao cô ấy buồn. (I understand the reason why she is sad.)
- Noun (Principle):
- Đó là lẽ thường tình. (That is the way of the world / a common principle.)
- Noun (Archaic - Secondary Wife):
- Trong xã hội phong kiến, "vợ lẽ" có địa vị thấp. (In feudal society, a secondary wife had a low status.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used in formal, philosophical, or explanatory contexts to denote logic, propriety, or inherent truth.
- "Lẽ ra": An adverb phrase meaning "ought to have," "should have," or "in principle."
- Lẽ ra anh phải đến sớm hơn. (In principle / You should have arrived earlier.)
- "Lẽ phải": A noun phrase meaning "what is right," "justice," or "moral reason."
- Phải bảo vệ lẽ phải. (One must defend what is right.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lẽ thường (n): Common sense; the usual way of things.
- Theo lẽ thường, việc đó không thể chấp nhận. (According to common sense, that is unacceptable.)
- Lẽ tự nhiên (n): The natural order; a matter of course.
- Mọi vật đều tuân theo lẽ tự nhiên. (Everything follows the natural order.)
- Vợ lẽ (n, archaic): Secondary wife; concubine.
Synonyms
- Reason: cause, motive, grounds.
- Principle: truth, doctrine, axiom.
- (For "vợ lẽ"): concubine, secondary spouse.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Có lẽ: Perhaps; maybe (literally "having reason").
- Có lẽ trời sẽ mưa. (Perhaps it will rain.)
- Khôn chẳng qua lẽ, khoẻ chẳng qua lời: (Proverb) Wisdom cannot surpass reason, strength cannot surpass words (emphasizing the power of reason and dialogue).
- Biết điều, hiểu lẽ: To be reasonable and understanding of propriety.
- Chết trẻ còn hơn lấy lẽ: (Old proverb) It's better to die young than to become a secondary wife (highlighting the low status of a concubine in the past).