vái lạy
Definition
- Verb:
- To bow and worship / to make a reverential bow: A respectful gesture of greeting, supplication, or worship, typically performed by pressing the palms together and bowing the head or upper body deeply. It is a traditional act of showing great respect, gratitude, or making a plea to deities, elders, or sacred objects.
- To beseech / to implore earnestly: Used figuratively to describe a very humble and earnest request or plea to someone.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Người dân vái lạy trước bàn thờ tổ tiên. (The people bowed and worshipped before the ancestral altar.)
- Cô ấy vái lạy tạ ơn vị sư cứu mạng con mình. (She bowed deeply to thank the monk who saved her child's life.)
- Hắn vái lạy xin ông chủ tha thứ. (He bowed and begged for the boss's forgiveness.)
Advanced Usage
- The action of "vái lạy" is deeply embedded in Vietnamese spiritual and cultural practices, often performed in pagodas, temples, and during important family rituals. It conveys a higher degree of reverence and formality than a simple "vái" (a lighter bow with hands clasped).
Variants and Related Words
Vái (v): to bow with hands clasped; a generally respectful greeting or gesture of thanks, less formal than "vái lạy".
- Các vận động viên vái chào khán giả. (The athletes bowed to greet the audience.)
Lạy (v): to prostrate oneself; to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in an act of extreme worship or respect, often as part of "vái lạy".
- Con cháu lạy ông bà trong đám tang. (The grandchildren prostrated themselves before their grandparents during the funeral.)
Synonyms
- To bow reverently: To bend the body or head in deep respect.
- To worship: To show reverence and adoration.
- To beseech: To ask someone urgently and fervently to do something.
Related Idioms
- Vái lạy van xin: to beg and plead desperately.
- Kẻ phạm tội vái lạy van xin sự khoan hồng. (The offender bowed and desperately begged for mercy.)