thượng hương
Definition
- Verb (archaic):
- To offer incense: A formal, ritualistic act of presenting or burning incense, typically in a religious, spiritual, or ceremonial context to show reverence.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Các tín đồ trang nghiêm thượng hương trước bàn thờ. (The devotees solemnly offered incense before the altar.)
- Lễ thượng hương được thực hiện vào đầu mỗi buổi lễ. (The incense offering ceremony is performed at the beginning of each service.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in historical or formal religious descriptions. In modern, everyday language, the simpler phrase "dâng hương" is more commonly used with the same meaning.
Variants and Related Words
Dâng hương (v): to offer incense. (Modern, common equivalent)
- Mọi người lần lượt dâng hương. (People took turns offering incense.)
Đốt hương (v): to burn incense. (Focuses on the physical act)
- Họ đốt hương để không khí thơm hơn. (They burned incense to make the air more fragrant.)
Synonyms
- To incense: to perfume with incense.
- To offer incense: the formal act of presenting incense.
Related Idioms
- While there is no direct idiom with "thượng hương," the act is central to the common saying:
- "Trăm nghe không bằng một thấy, trăm thấy không bằng một thắp hương.": Hearing a hundred times isn't equal to seeing once; seeing a hundred times isn't equal to lighting incense once. (Emphasizes the profound personal experience of direct ritual participation.)