Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To have one's fortune told: The act of consulting a fortune teller or diviner to learn about one's future, fate, or to seek guidance on personal matters through mystical or prophetic means.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Cô ấy thích đi xem bói vào đầu năm mới. (She likes to have her fortune told at the start of the new year.)
  • Họ đi xem bói để hỏi về chuyện công việc. (They went to have their fortune told to ask about work matters.)
  • Xem bói có thật sự đoán trước được tương lai không? (Can fortune telling really predict the future?)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can imply a range of specific divinatory practices, such as palmistry, tarot card reading, or astrology, depending on the context.
  • Xem bói chỉ tay: to have one's palm read.
  • Xem bói bài tarot: to have a tarot card reading.

Variants and Related Words

• Bói toán (n): fortune telling, divination (the general practice or art).
  • Bói toán có từ thời xa xưa. (Fortune telling has existed since ancient times.)
• Thầy bói / Cô bói (n): fortune teller (male/female).
  • Thầy bói nói tôi sẽ gặp may mắn. (The fortune teller said I would encounter good luck.)

Synonyms

• To consult a fortune teller: to seek advice or prophecy from a diviner.
• To have a divination: to undergo a ritual to foresee the future.

Related Idioms and Common Phrases

• Xem bói xem quẻ: to have one's fortune told (using lots or hexagrams); implies a formal divination session.
  • Bà cụ ngồi xem bói xem quẻ trước cổng chùa. (The old woman sat telling fortunes at the temple gate.)