Definition

1. Verb:
   • To kowtow and genuflect frantically or repeatedly: The word "sì sụp" describes the action of bowing down or prostrating oneself multiple times in rapid succession, often as a sign of extreme respect, supplication, or worship. It implies a continuous, fervent, and sometimes desperate series of gestures.

Usage

• "sì sụp" is primarily used as a verb, often paired with the verb "lạy" (to bow/to prostrate) to form the phrase "lạy sì sụp". This combination intensifies the meaning, emphasizing the frantic, repeated, and prolonged nature of the bowing.
• It is used to depict a scene where someone is showing extreme deference, begging earnestly, or worshipping with great fervor.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người đàn ông lạy sì sụp trước bàn thờ tổ tiên. (The man kowtowed frantically before the ancestral altar.)
  • Cô ấy van xin sì sụp, mong được tha thứ. (She begged frantically, hoping for forgiveness.)

Advanced Usage

• "lạy sì sụp": This is the most common and natural collocation. It means to prostrate oneself repeatedly and fervently.
  • Thấy mẹ nổi giận, đứa trẻ vội lạy sì sụp xin lỗi. (Seeing his mother's anger, the child quickly kowtowed frantically to apologize.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạy (v): To bow, to prostrate (a single or general act of bowing). "Sì sụp" intensifies this action.
• Khấn (v): To pray, to make a vow (often silently before an altar). This is related but focuses on the verbal/spiritual aspect rather than the physical act of bowing.
• Van xin (v): To beg, to implore. This shares the connotation of desperate pleading but does not specify the physical gesture of bowing.

Synonyms

• Lạy lia lịa: To kowtow repeatedly and rapidly (a near-synonym emphasizing speed and repetition).
• Cúi lạy: To bow down in respect (a more general term).

Related Phrases

• "Sì sụp" itself is not typically used in phrasal verb constructions. Its core usage is within the phrase "lạy sì sụp".

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms that use the word "sì sụp" in isolation. Its idiomatic meaning is fully expressed in the phrase "lạy sì sụp", which paints a vivid picture of desperate or extremely devout physical worship.

1. Make many genuflexions
   • Sì sụp lạy
     to kowtow and genuflect frantically