tác hợp
Definition
- Verb (formal, literary):
- To facilitate a union; to bring together (especially in marriage): The primary meaning refers to the act of helping or arranging for two people, typically a man and a woman, to meet and form a marital union. It carries a sense of benevolent intervention, often implying a destined or fated match.
- To act as a matchmaker; to mediate a relationship: It describes the specific action of creating the conditions for a romantic or marital partnership.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông trời đã tác hợp cho đôi trẻ. (Heaven facilitated the union of the young couple.)
- Nhờ bà ấy tác hợp, họ mới lấy được nhau. (Thanks to her matchmaking, they were able to marry each other.)
- Mối duyên trời tác hợp thật khó có thể chia cắt. (A union fated by heaven is difficult to break apart.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "tác hợp" is deeply rooted in classical literature and Confucian culture. It is rarely used in modern daily conversation and is instead found in formal writing, historical contexts, or when discussing traditional matchmaking. It often carries a poetic or philosophical nuance, suggesting that the union is not merely a human arrangement but is supported by a higher power or destiny.
Variants and Related Words
- Kết hợp (v): to combine, to unite. This is a modern, general term for any kind of union or combination and does not carry the specific marital or destined connotation of .
- Mối lái (n): matchmaker (the person). This is the agent noun for the person who performs the action of .
- Xui khiến (v): to prompt, to incite. This can be part of the conceptual background of , implying an external force guiding the union.
Synonyms
- To unite (in marriage): to join two people in matrimony.
- To matchmake: to act as an intermediary to arrange a marriage.
- To bring together: to cause two people to meet and form a relationship.
Related Idioms and Classical References
- Thiên tác chi hợp: A classical idiom originating from the (Kinh Thi), meaning "a union made by heaven." This is the direct literary source for the word "tác hợp" and encapsulates its core meaning of a divinely arranged or perfectly destined match.
- Mối lương duyên của họ đúng là "thiên tác chi hợp". (Their blessed marriage is truly "a union made by heaven.")