tu
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To knock up to sit in meditation: To engage in the practice of religious or spiritual discipline, often involving meditation, asceticism, and adherence to specific precepts, typically to cultivate virtue and seek enlightenment.
- To enter religion; to become a religious person: To formally devote oneself to a religious life, often by joining a monastic order or following a strict spiritual path.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông ấy quyết định tu tại một ngôi chùa trên núi. (He decided to practice asceticism/to enter monastic life at a temple in the mountains.)
- Cô ấy tu theo đạo Phật đã được mười năm. (She has been following Buddhist practice for ten years.)
- Để tìm sự bình an, nhiều người chọn cách tu tâm dưỡng tính. (To find peace, many people choose to cultivate their mind and character.)
Advanced Usage
"tu hành": to practice religion, to lead a religious life (This is a common compound. The core meaning of tu here is the act of self-cultivation within a religious context.)
- Các nhà sư tu hành rất nghiêm túc trong ngôi chùa này. (The monks practice religion very seriously in this temple.)
"tu tại gia": to practice religion while living a secular life at home (as opposed to in a monastery).
- Bà cụ là một Phật tử tu tại gia. (The old lady is a Buddhist practicing at home.)
Variants and Related Words
Tu sĩ (n): A religious practitioner, a monk or a nun.
- Các tu sĩ sống một cuộc đời giản dị và thiền định. (The monks live a simple and meditative life.)
Tu tập (v): To practice, to cultivate (spiritually). This compound emphasizes the ongoing process of practice.
- Con đường tu tập đòi hỏi sự kiên nhẫn. (The path of practice requires patience.)
Tu dưỡng (v): To cultivate, to nurture (one's morality, character).
- Anh ấy luôn chú trọng tu dưỡng đạo đức. (He always focuses on cultivating his morals.)
Synonyms
- Tuân theo đạo (v): To follow a religion/doctrine.
- Sống đời tu hành (v phrase): To live a religious life.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Tu thân: To cultivate oneself (Often the first step in a Confucian sequence: tu thân, tề gia, trị quốc, bình thiên hạ - cultivate self, regulate family, govern state, bring peace to the world).
- Muốn giúp đời, trước hết phải biết tu thân. (To help the world, one must first know how to cultivate oneself.)
Related Idioms
- "Tu đâu cho bằng tu nhà, thờ cha kính mẹ mới là chân tu": (A proverb) Where is better to practice than at home? Honoring father and respecting mother is true practice. This emphasizes that genuine spiritual practice (tu) can and should start with filial piety.
- "Ăn chay nằm mộng, niệm Phật *tu hành": (A saying) To be vegetarian, to have dreams, to chant Buddha's name, *to practice religion. This lists activities associated with the life of tu.