Definition

1. Verb:
   • To rely on someone's help or support: "nương nhờ" means to depend on another person's assistance, shelter, or protection, often in a situation where one is in need or lacks self-sufficiency.
   • To seek refuge or shelter with someone: It can also imply temporarily staying with or depending on someone for physical shelter or emotional support.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau trận bão, nhiều gia đình phải đi nương nhờ họ hàng. (After the storm, many families had to go and seek shelter with their relatives.)
  • Cô ấy nương nhờ vào sự giúp đỡ của bạn bè để vượt qua khó khăn. (She relies on her friends' help to overcome difficulties.)
  • Trong thời gian tìm việc, anh ấy tạm thời nương nhờ ở nhà người bạn cũ. (While job hunting, he is temporarily staying at an old friend's house.)

Advanced Usage

• "nương nhờ cửa Phật": to take refuge in Buddhism; to become a monk/nun or seek spiritual shelter in a pagoda.
  • Sau biến cố, ông cụ quyết định đi nương nhờ cửa Phật. (After the incident, the old man decided to take refuge in Buddhism.)
• The word often carries a nuance of humility, gratitude, and temporary dependence rather than permanent reliance.

Variants and Related Words

• Nương tựa (verb): to lean on, to depend on. Often used interchangeably with "nương nhờ" but can sound slightly more emotional or physical.
• Nương cậy (verb): to rely on, to count on. Emphasizes trust and dependence on someone's capability.
• Trông cậy (verb): to rely on, to look to for support.
• Ẩn náu (verb): to hide, to take cover. Focuses more on concealment for safety.

Synonyms

• Dựa dẫm: to lean on (can have a negative connotation of being overly dependent).
• Nhờ cậy: to ask for and rely on help.
• Cậy nhờ: to rely on (emphasizes trust in the helper).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: Vietnamese does not have phrasal verbs in the same structure as English. The concept is expressed through verb pairs or compound verbs. - Đi nương nhờ: to go to seek shelter/support. - Họ đã phải đi nương nhờ nơi đất khách. (They had to go and seek shelter in a foreign land.)

Related Idioms

• Nương nhờ bóng mát: to rely on someone's protection (literally: to rely on the shade).
  • Cậu bé mồ côi nương nhờ bóng mát của người chú. (The orphaned boy relies on the protection of his uncle.)
• Nương thân nương nhờ: to seek a place to stay and depend on (emphasizing finding shelter for oneself).
  • Trong cơn hoạn nạn, việc nương thân nương nhờ là lẽ thường tình. (In times of disaster, seeking shelter and support is a common matter.)

1. Lean on some's help