Definition

1. Verb:
   • To swear, to vow: To make a solemn promise or declaration, often invoking a higher power or something sacred as a witness. It implies a strong, formal commitment.
   • To pledge, to take an oath: To formally bind oneself to a statement or a course of action.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy thề bồi sẽ trung thành với tổ quốc. (He swore/vowed to be loyal to his country.)
  • Cô ấy thề bồi rằng mình nói sự thật. (She swore that she was telling the truth.)
  • Họ thề bồi yêu nhau suốt đời. (They pledged/vowed to love each other for life.)

Advanced Usage

• "thề bồi thốt": An emphatic or repeated form, stressing the act of swearing and uttering the oath.
  • Anh ta cứ thề bồi thốt mãi nhưng chẳng giữ lời. (He kept swearing up and down but never kept his word.)
• The word "thề bồi" often carries a slightly formal or literary nuance and can sometimes imply excessive or insincere swearing in modern, informal contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Thề (verb): To swear, to vow. This is the more common and neutral modern equivalent of "thề bồi".
• Thề nguyền (verb): To vow solemnly (often used in romantic or deeply committed contexts).
• Lời thề (noun): An oath, a vow.
• Cam kết (verb/noun): To commit / a commitment (less solemn, more general than "thề bồi").

Synonyms

• Thề: To swear.
• Hứa hẹn: To promise (generally less formal and solemn than "thề bồi").
• Cam kết: To commit, to pledge.
• Tuyên thệ: To take an oath (used in official ceremonies).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Thề bồi sống thề bồi chết: To swear vehemently, to swear by one's life (emphasizing the seriousness of the oath).
  • Hắn thề bồi sống thề bồi chết là không làm chuyện đó. (He swore on his life that he didn't do it.)

Related Idioms

• Thề non hẹn biển: To make grand, extravagant promises (often implying they are unlikely to be kept).
  • Đừng tin những lời thề non hẹn biển. (Don't believe those grand, empty promises.)

verb

1. to swear, to vow