Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Incense smoke: The smoke produced by burning incense, especially in religious or ritual contexts.
   • (Local/Dialectal) Ancestral worship, rites for the deceased: Refers to the practice of burning incense as an act of veneration for ancestors or the deceased, synonymous with the more common term "hương khói."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Căn phòng đầy mùi nhang khói. (The room was filled with the smell of incense smoke.)
  • Ngày giỗ, con cháu lo việc nhang khói cho ông bà. (On the death anniversary, the children and grandchildren take care of the ancestral rites for their grandparents.)

Advanced Usage

• "lo nhang khói": to be responsible for the ancestral worship; to maintain the family rites.
  • Là con trưởng, anh ấy phải lo nhang khói cho gia tiên. (As the eldest son, he must be responsible for the ancestral worship.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hương khói (n): The standard term for incense smoke and, by extension, ancestral worship. "Nhang khói" is a dialectal variant of this term.
• Nhang (n): Incense stick.
• Khói (n): Smoke.
• Cúng bái (v/n): To worship; worship ceremony.

Synonyms

• Hương khói: Incense smoke; ancestral rites.
• Thờ cúng: Worship, veneration (a broader term for ritual practices).

Related Phrases

• Nhang đèn: Incense and lamps; refers to the full set of ritual offerings.
  • Mâm cúng đầy đủ nhang đèn. (The offering tray is complete with incense and lamps.)

Related Idioms

• "Tắt lửa tắt đèn" (extinguished fire, extinguished lamps): This idiom describes a state of decline or cessation, often of a family line, where rituals like "nhang khói" can no longer be performed. While not containing the exact phrase "nhang khói," it is conceptually related to the interruption of ancestral rites.
  • Dòng họ đó giờ đã tắt lửa tắt đèn. (That lineage has now died out.)

1. (địa phương) như hương khói