Definition

Verb: - To venerate; to revere; to worship (in a non-religious or figurative sense): To hold someone or something in the highest esteem, respect, and admiration, often to an extreme degree. It implies deep reverence and a tendency to idealize.

Usage

The verb tôn sùng describes an intense feeling of respect and admiration, often elevating a person, ideology, or object to a supreme status. It is stronger than simple respect (tôn trọng) and implies a degree of devotion. It can be used in both religious and secular contexts. - It is commonly followed by the object of veneration (e.g., tôn sùng ai/cái gì - to venerate someone/something). - It often carries a neutral or positive connotation but can be critical when implying blind or excessive worship.

Examples

• (Many people venerate their leader.)
• (He reveres the philosophy of simple living.)
• (One should not worship idols blindly.)

Advanced Usage

• Tôn sùng cá nhân: (Personality cult) The excessive, often unquestioning, admiration for a single leader.
  • Hiện tượng tôn sùng cá nhân có thể gây hại cho xã hội. (The phenomenon of a personality cult can be harmful to society.)
• Tôn sùng quá khứ: (To venerate the past) To hold past traditions or eras in excessively high regard, sometimes to the detriment of progress.

Variants and Related Words

• Sùng bái (verb): To worship, to adore (often used in religious contexts or for intense, sometimes superstitious, devotion). It can be more extreme than .
  • sùng bái thần linh (to worship deities)
• Tôn kính (verb): To respect deeply, to hold in high esteem. It is a general term for deep respect, less intense than .
  • tôn kính tổ tiên (to revere ancestors)
• Tôn thờ (verb): To worship, to adore, to idolize. Very close in meaning to , often used interchangeably, but can imply a more ritualistic or religious devotion.
  • tôn thờ Chúa (to worship God)

Synonyms

• Kính trọng: To respect, to esteem (a more general and common term for respect).
• Ngưỡng mộ: To admire (focuses on admiration, which can be a component of ).
• Thần tượng hóa: To idolize (specifically means to treat someone as an idol).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Tôn sùng như thánh sống: To venerate someone as a living saint.
  • Người hâm mộ tôn sùng cô ấy như một thánh sống. (Fans venerate her as a living saint.)
• Tôn sùng mù quáng: Blind worship/veneration.
  • Sự tôn sùng mù quáng vào công nghệ mới đôi khi là nguy hiểm. (Blind veneration of new technology can sometimes be dangerous.)

verb

1. to venerate