trường trai
Definition
- Noun:
- Vegetarianism / Veganism (strict): The practice of abstaining from all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and sometimes honey. It implies a long-term or lifelong commitment to a plant-based diet, often for religious, ethical, or health reasons.
- The state of observing a strict vegetarian fast: Particularly in Buddhist contexts, it denotes a sustained period of adhering to a pure vegetarian diet as a form of spiritual discipline.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Ông ấy đã giữ trường trai được mười năm. (He has maintained a strict vegetarian diet for ten years.)
- Nhiều Phật tử giữ chay trường trai. (Many Buddhists observe a permanent vegetarian fast.)
- Chế độ trường trai đòi hỏi sự kiên nhẫn. (A vegan diet requires patience.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is deeply associated with religious asceticism, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, where it is seen as an expression of compassion and non-harm () towards all sentient beings.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe a lifestyle of austerity and discipline beyond just diet.
Variants and Related Words
Ăn chay (v): to eat vegetarian food. This is the general term for vegetarianism and can be temporary.
- Cô ấy ăn chay mỗi tháng hai lần. (She eats vegetarian twice a month.)
Chay trường (n/phr): synonymous with "trường trai," emphasizing the permanent, long-term nature of the practice.
- Bà nội tôi theo chay trường. (My grandmother follows a lifelong vegetarian diet.)
Synonyms
- Strict vegetarianism: A diet excluding all animal flesh.
- Veganism: A lifestyle avoiding all animal products.
- Plant-based diet: A diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant foods.
Related Idioms
- Giữ trường trai: to observe a strict vegetarian diet.
- Vì lòng thương xót chúng sinh, bà quyết định giữ trường trai. (Out of compassion for living beings, she decided to adopt a strict vegetarian diet.)