Definition

Noun: 1. Happiness, good fortune, blessing: A state of well-being, joy, or a fortunate event bestowed, often seen as a reward for good deeds or ancestral virtue. It implies a deep, lasting, and often spiritual form of happiness and luck. 2. Felicity, welfare: The condition of living a good, prosperous, and fortunate life.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Gia đình anh ấy có nhiều phúc. (His family has much good fortune.)
  • Làm việc thiện để tích đức, tích phúc. (Do good deeds to accumulate virtue and accumulate blessings.)
  • Thoát khỏi tai nạn đó thật là phúc lớn. (Escaping that accident was a great blessing.)

Advanced Usage

• "phúc đức": virtue and the blessings/happiness it brings; often refers to the positive karma or merit accumulated from good deeds, which brings happiness to oneself and descendants.
  • Sống phải biết giữ phúc đức. (One must know how to preserve one's virtue and blessings.)
• "hưởng phúc" / "hưởng phúc lộc": to enjoy blessings, happiness, and prosperity.
  • Cụ già đang hưởng phúc bên con cháu. (The elderly person is enjoying blessings with their children and grandchildren.)
• "phúc hậu": kind-hearted, benevolent (describing a person's character, implying they have/store goodness/blessings).
  • Bà ấy là người rất phúc hậu. (She is a very kind-hearted person.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phúc lợi (n): welfare, benefit (e.g., employee benefits).
  • Công ty có chế độ phúc lợi tốt. (The company has a good welfare policy.)
• Phúc âm (n): gospel (religious term).
  • truyền bá phúc âm (to preach the gospel)
• Hạnh phúc (n): happiness (a more common, general term for happiness; "phúc" is often a deeper, more foundational component of "hạnh phúc").
• Phước (Southern Vietnamese variant): A common alternate spelling/pronunciation for "phúc" with the same core meanings.

Synonyms

• May mắn: luck, fortune (more about chance).
• Hạnh phúc: happiness.
• Điềm lành: good omen, auspicious sign.
• Ân huệ: grace, favor (often from a higher power).

Related Idioms and Proverbs

• "Con hơn cha là nhà có phúc": (A child surpassing their parent is a sign the family has blessings.) A proverb meaning it is a blessing for the younger generation to be more successful.
• "Phúc bất trùng lai, họa vô đơn chí": (Blessings seldom come in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly.) A proverb meaning good fortune is rare, but troubles often come together.
• "Ăn ở có phúc": (To live/act in a way that accumulates blessings.) To live a virtuous, kind life.
• "Phúc đức tại mẫu": (The mother's virtue determines the blessings.) A saying highlighting the mother's role in shaping the family's fortune and children's character.
• "Gieo gió, gặt bão" / "Ở hiền gặp lành": (Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind / Be kind, meet with goodness.) Related concepts of cause (action) and effect (resulting fortune/misfortune).

noun

1. happiness; good fortune