Definition

1. Noun:

   • Color: The visual perception of different wavelengths of light; hue.
   • Complexion / Facial appearance: The color and appearance of a person's face, often indicating health or emotion.
   • Beauty: Physical attractiveness, particularly of a woman (short for "sắc đẹp").
   • Royal decree or diploma: (Archaic) An official document or mandate issued by a king or emperor.
   • Tone (in painting): A shade or tint of a color.
   • The "sắc" tone mark: (Linguistics) The diacritic mark ( ́ ) in the Vietnamese alphabet, indicating a high rising tone.

2. Verb:

   • To decoct / To simmer / To extract: To boil herbs or medicine in water to extract their essence, often for traditional medicine.

3. Adjective:

   • Sharp: Having a thin edge or fine point capable of cutting or piercing easily.
   • Keen / Perceptive: Describing vision, hearing, or intellect that is acute and penetrating.
   • Clever / Astute: Showing sharp intelligence or shrewd judgment.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Sắc đỏ là màu của máu và lửa. (The color red is the color of blood and fire.)
  • Sắc mặt cô ấy tái đi vì sợ hãi. (Her complexion turned pale from fear.)
  • Tài sắc vẹn toàn. (To be perfect in both talent and beauty.)
  • Nhà vua ban hành một sắc lệnh mới. (The king issued a new royal decree.)
  • Chữ "má" có dấu sắc. (The word "má" has the "sắc" tone mark.)

• Verb:

  • Bà tôi thường sắc thuốc Nam trong ấm đất. (My grandmother often decocts Southern medicine in an earthen pot.)

• Adjective:

  • Con dao này rất sắc. (This knife is very sharp.)
  • Anh ấy có đôi mắt sắc và thông minh. (He has keen and intelligent eyes.)
  • Đó là một nhận định sắc sảo. (That is an astute observation.)

Advanced Usage

• "sắc sảo": (Adjective) Sharp-witted, clever, and perceptive, often used to describe a person's mind or speech.

  • Cô ấy là một nhà phê bình sắc sảo. (She is a sharp-witted critic.)

• "sắc sắc không không": (Idiomatic, from Buddhism) Literally "form form emptiness emptiness"; the illusory nature of all appearances and phenomena, indicating everything is transient and empty of inherent existence.

  • Cuộc đời sắc sắc không không. (Life is but an illusion of forms and emptiness.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sắc đẹp (n): Beauty, physical attractiveness.

  • Sắc đẹp không phải là tất cả. (Beauty is not everything.)

• Sắc lệnh (n): (Archaic/Formal) Royal decree, official order.

  • Sắc lệnh của vua được truyền đi khắp nơi. (The king's decree was disseminated everywhere.)

• Sắc thuốc (n): A decoction of medicinal herbs; the liquid result of simmering herbs.

  • Sắc thuốc này rất đắng. (This herbal decoction is very bitter.)

• Sắc màu (n): Colors, hues (a more poetic or collective term).

  • Sắc màu của mùa thu. (The colors of autumn.)

Synonyms

• Color: hue, tint, shade.
• Sharp: keen, razor-edged, cutting.
• Keen: perceptive, acute, penetrating.
• Beauty: loveliness, attractiveness.
• Decoct: boil, simmer, extract.

Related Idioms

• Biến sắc: To change color (of face); to turn pale or show a change in facial expression due to strong emotion.

  • Nghe tin dữ, anh ta đột nhiên biến sắc. (Upon hearing the bad news, he suddenly turned pale.)

• Sắc nước hương trời: (Literally: the color of water, the scent of heaven) A phrase describing a woman of exceptional, ethereal beauty.

  • Người ta nàng có sắc nước hương trời. (People say she possesses an otherworldly beauty.)

noun

1. royal honour-conferring diploma
2. temple's exercising charm
3. colour
4. (như) sắc đẹp, dấu sắc

verb

1. to extract, to simmer, to lead down

adj

1. sharp