Definition

1. Noun:
   • Sorcerer; magician: A person who claims to possess or practices magic, often with connotations of dealing with spirits or the supernatural. In Vietnamese folklore and belief, a "phù thủy" is typically seen as someone who uses spells, charms, or rituals to influence events, cast out evil spirits, or perform magic, sometimes for malevolent purposes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong câu chuyện cổ tích, phù thủy thường có phép thuật đen tối. (In fairy tales, the sorcerer often has dark magic.)
  • Người dân làng sợ hãi tên phù thủy sống trong khu rừng. (The villagers feared the magician who lived in the forest.)
  • Bà ấy bị lừa bởi một kẻ tự xưng là phù thủy. (She was deceived by a person who claimed to be a sorcerer.)

Advanced Usage

• "phù thủy áo đen" / "phù thủy áo trắng": These phrases distinguish between types of magic users, similar to "black witch" and "white witch" in English, indicating practitioners of dark/evil magic versus good/beneficial magic.

  • Câu chuyện kể về một phù thủy áo trắng luôn giúp đỡ mọi người. (The story is about a white witch who always helps people.)

• Used metaphorically to describe someone with uncanny skill or influence in a specific, often secretive, domain.

  • Ông ấy là phù thủy trong lĩnh vực công nghệ thông tin. (He is a wizard in the field of information technology.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pháp sư (n): A more formal or fantasy-oriented term for a wizard or mage, often with great magical power and knowledge.
• Thầy phù thủy (n): A term emphasizing the "master" or "practitioner" aspect, equivalent to "sorcerer" or "witch doctor."
• Bùa phép (n): Refers to the charms and spells used by a "phù thủy."
• Yêu thuật (n): Sorcery; witchcraft, referring to the practice itself.

Synonyms

• Thầy pháp: A master of rituals/magic.
• Đồng cốt: A spirit medium (shares the context of dealing with the spirit world but is not identical).
• Phù phép: A less common noun for a sorcerer, or the act of casting spells.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Tin vào phù thủy: To believe in sorcerers/witchcraft; often used critically to describe gullibility or superstition.

  • Đừng có tin vào phù thủy, hãy đi bác sĩ. (Don't believe in sorcery/witch doctors, go see a real doctor.)

• Tay phù thủy: Literally "sorcerer's hand"; can be used figuratively to praise someone's incredibly skillful or "magical" hands in activities like cooking, surgery, or art.

  • Đầu bếp đó có tay phù thủy, món ăn của anh ấy thật tuyệt vời. (That chef has magical hands, his dishes are amazing.)

noun

1. sorcerer; magician