Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Sacred / Holy: Possessing a divine, spiritual, or supernatural quality that inspires awe, reverence, or fear, often associated with religious or superstitious belief.
   • Efficacious / Potent: Believed to have miraculous power to fulfill wishes, punish violations, or make predictions that come true.
   • (Of a prediction) Uncannily accurate: Said of a statement or forecast that proves to be correct as if by magic or supernatural insight.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngôi đền này rất thiêng. (This temple is very sacred.)
  • Anh ấy nói thiêng quá, vừa nhắc đến là nó đến ngay. (His words were so uncanny; he just mentioned it and it appeared immediately.)
  • Người ta tin rằng vị thần ở đó rất thiêng. (People believe the deity there is very potent.)

Advanced Usage

• "thiêng liêng": sacred, holy, solemn. This is the more common and formal compound.

  • Giây phút thiêng liêng của lễ cưới. (The sacred moment of the wedding ceremony.)

• "nơi ma thiêng nước độc": an idiom describing a place considered unhealthy, dangerous, and haunted by malevolent spirits.

  • Họ cảnh báo không nên đến vùng rừng núi đó, vì đó là nơi ma thiêng nước độc. (They warned against going to that mountainous forest area, as it's a place of evil spirits and poisonous water.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thiêng liêng (adj): sacred, holy, solemn. The full and most standard form.
  • Tình yêu tổ quốc là điều thiêng liêng. (Love for the homeland is a sacred thing.)

Synonyms

• Sacred: connected with God or a god, deserving religious veneration.
• Holy: dedicated to a religious purpose, sacred.
• Efficacious: having the power to produce a desired effect.
• Uncanny: strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.

Related Idioms

• "Thiêng thật! (Khi nói về/vừa nhắc đến...)": "How uncanny! (When talking about/just mentioning...)". Used as an exclamation when something or someone appears immediately after being mentioned.
  • Thiêng thật! Vừa nhắc đến cô ấy thì cô ấy gọi điện ngay. (How uncanny! We just mentioned her and she called right away.)