lễ lộc

lễ lộc

Mùa xuân là mùa của lễ lộc và hội hè.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Gifts or presents offered (to ask for a favor): Money, goods, or benefits given to someone, especially someone in a position of power, to influence their actions or decisions in one's favor. This meaning often carries a negative connotation of bribery or corruption.
    • (General) Festivities or ceremonial occasions: A more neutral, though less common, meaning referring to festivals, ceremonies, or celebratory events in a broad sense.
Usage Examples
  • Noun (Gifts for favor):
    • Muốn việc được thông qua, anh ta phải lo lễ lộc đầy đủ. (To get the approval, he had to arrange sufficient "gifts".)
    • Tình trạng lễ lộc trong một số cơ quan nhà nước là vấn đề nhức nhối. (The situation of "bribe-giving" in some state agencies is a thorny issue.)
  • Noun (Festivities):
    • Mùa xuân là mùa của lễ lộc và hội hè. (Spring is the season of festivities and festivals.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term "lễ lộc" is most frequently used in modern Vietnamese to imply unofficial, often illicit, payments. It is a euphemism for bribery.
  • It can function as an object in phrases about giving or receiving such gifts.
    • Biếu lễ lộc (to give a bribe)
    • Nhận lễ lộc (to accept a bribe)
Variants and Related Words
  • Hối lộ (v/n): To bribe / a bribe. This is a more direct and legal term for bribery.
    • Hắn bị bắt vì tội hối lộ. (He was arrested for bribery.)
  • Quà cáp (n): Gifts, presents. Generally neutral, but can be used euphemistically similar to "lễ lộc".
  • Phong bì (n): An envelope. Often used metonymically to refer to a cash bribe given inside an envelope.
Synonyms
  • Bribe: Money or favor given to influence someone.
  • Backhander: (Informal) a bribe.
  • Sweetener: (Informal) an extra incentive offered, often dishonestly.
Related Idioms
  • Chạy chọt lễ lộc: To run around giving bribes to get something done.
    • Anh ta phải chạy chọt lễ lộc khắp nơi để xin giấy phép. (He had to run around giving bribes everywhere to get the license.)
  • Có tiền mua tiên cũng được, huống chi là lễ lộc: A saying implying that with money (for bribes), you can get anything, even the impossible.