Definitions

1. Verb:
   • To give reluctantly or with disdain; to give alms: "thí" describes the act of giving something, often money or food, with a sense of reluctance, pity, or contempt for the recipient. It implies a begrudging or charitable donation.
   • To sacrifice, to risk, to jettison (in games or strategy): In strategic contexts like chess or warfare, "thí" means to deliberately sacrifice a piece or resource to gain a positional or tactical advantage, or to save a more critical element.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To give reluctantly/alms):
  • Ông ấy ngần ngại mãi mới thí cho người ăn xin vài đồng. (He hesitated for a long time before reluctantly giving the beggar a few dong.)
  • Cô ấy thí cho con chó hoang bát cơm. (She gave the stray dog a bowl of rice as alms.)
• Verb (To sacrifice in strategy):
  • Để chiếu tướng, anh ấy phải thí con xe. (To checkmate, he had to sacrifice his rook.)
  • Tướng đó bị chỉ trích vì thí quân vô tội vạ. (That general was criticized for sacrificing his troops recklessly.)

Advanced Usage

• "thí thân": to sacrifice oneself.
  • Anh ấy sẵn sàng thí thân cứu đồng đội. (He is willing to sacrifice himself to save his comrades.)
• "thí mạng": to sacrifice one's life.
  • Nhiều chiến sĩ đã thí mạng vì độc lập dân tộc. (Many soldiers sacrificed their lives for national independence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bố thí (verb): to give alms, to donate charitably (often used in a Buddhist or religious context, with a more neutral or positive connotation than "thí" alone).
  • Đi chùa làm lễ bố thí. (Go to the pagoda to perform the alms-giving ceremony.)
• Thí điểm (verb): to pilot, to test (a policy, project). (Note: This is a compound word where "thí" carries the meaning of "testing" or "trying out," which is a distinct meaning from the core definitions above.)
  • Chương trình mới sẽ được thí điểm ở ba tỉnh. (The new program will be piloted in three provinces.)

Synonyms

• Cho (verb): to give (neutral).
• Hi sinh (verb): to sacrifice (more solemn and general, often for a noble cause).
• Cúng (verb): to offer (often in a religious/venerative context).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• thí cho: to give to (someone, often with reluctance).
  • Hắn bực mình, thí cho nó mấy tờ tiền lẻ để nó đi. (Annoyed, he tossed it a few small bills to make it go away.)

Related Idioms

• Của thí, của cho: Refers to something given as alms or charity, often implying it is not earned and may not be valued. (Alms, charity)
  • Đừng coi sự giúp đỡ của người khác như của thí, của cho. (Don't treat others' help as mere charity or alms.)

verb

1. to risk, to sacrifice to hand out to grudge