phá giới
Definition
- Verb:
- To break one's religious vows; to violate religious precepts: Specifically refers to a monk, nun, or ordained person failing to adhere to the prohibitions and rules of their religious order.
- To unfrock oneself; to leave the monastic life: Implies a conscious act of abandoning or transgressing the vows that define the monastic state.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Vị sư già đã phá giới sau nhiều năm tu hành. (The old monk broke his vows after many years of practice.)
- Câu chuyện kể về một nhà sư phá giới vì tình yêu. (The story is about a monk who broke his vows for love.)
- Phá giới là một hành động nghiêm trọng trong Phật giáo. (Breaking one's vows is a serious act in Buddhism.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in a religious, particularly Buddhist, context. It carries a heavy connotation of moral and spiritual failure.
- It can be used metaphorically in very formal or literary contexts to mean "to break a sacred or solemn promise," though this is rare.
Variants and Related Words
- Phá lệ (Verb): To break a rule or precedent. This is more secular and general than "phá giới."
- Hoàn tục (Verb): To return to secular life. This is a more neutral term for leaving monastic life, not necessarily implying a violation of vows.
- Giới luật (Noun): Religious precepts, monastic rules.
Synonyms
- Vi phạm giới luật (Verb Phrase): To violate the precepts.
- Thất giới (Verb - less common): To fail in keeping the vows.
Related Phrases / Idioms
- Phá giới phá luật: An idiom meaning to break all rules and prohibitions, often used to describe severe moral or legal transgressions beyond just the religious context. It emphasizes a complete disregard for boundaries.
- Hắn ta sống một cuộc đời phá giới phá luật. (He lived a life of breaking all taboos and laws.)
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Unfrock oneself, break one's religious vow