Definition

1. Verb (archaic):
   • To shave one's head (to become a monk/nun): The act of cutting off one's hair as a formal rite of passage when entering the monastic life in Buddhism or other religious orders. It symbolizes renunciation of worldly life and vanity.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau khi quyết định từ bỏ thế tục, ông ấy đã thế phát tại ngôi chùa này. (After deciding to renounce secular life, he shaved his head at this pagoda.)
  • Lễ thế phát là nghi thức quan trọng đối với người mới xuất gia. (The head-shaving ceremony is an important ritual for new monastics.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in historical or formal religious contexts. In modern everyday language, phrases like "cắt tóc đi tu" (cut hair to become a monk/nun) or "xuống tóc" (to shave one's head) are more common.

Variants and Related Words

• Xuất gia (v): to leave home, to ordain as a monk or nun. This is a broader term for entering monastic life, which includes the act of .
  • Cô ấy đã xuất gia và sống trong tu viện. (She ordained and lives in the monastery.)
• Cạo đầu (v): to shave one's head. This is a general term for the action, not specific to religious ordination.
  • Anh ấy cạo đầu vì trời nóng. (He shaved his head because the weather is hot.)

Synonyms

• To tonsure: The ceremonial shaving of the crown of the head, especially of a person entering the priesthood or a monastic order.

Related Idioms

• While there is no direct idiom with , the concept is central to the idiom:
  • Cắt ái từ thân: To cut off love and leave the body (i.e., to sever worldly attachments). This describes the deeper spiritual purpose behind the act of thế phát.