Definition

1. Verb:
   • To seclude oneself from the world; to live in seclusion: The act of withdrawing from society to live a solitary, often quiet and private life, typically to avoid worldly affairs, focus on spiritual matters, or seek peace.
   • To live as a hermit or recluse: To adopt a lifestyle of isolation, often in a remote place.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau nhiều năm bôn ba, ông ấy quyết định ẩn cư ở một ngôi làng nhỏ. (After many years of wandering, he decided to seclude himself in a small village.)
  • Nhà thơ này thích ẩn cư trong núi để sáng tác. (This poet prefers to live in seclusion in the mountains to create.)
  • Vị thiền sư đã ẩn cư nhiều năm để tu hành. (The Zen master has lived in seclusion for many years to practice asceticism.)

Advanced Usage

• "Sống ẩn cư": To live a secluded/hermit life. This phrase emphasizes the ongoing state of living in seclusion.

  • Họ chọn sống ẩn cư, xa rời thành thị ồn ào. (They chose to live in seclusion, far from the noisy city.)

• "Nơi ẩn cư": A place of seclusion; a retreat. This is a compound noun where "ẩn cư" functions as a modifier.

  • Căn nhà gỗ trên núi là nơi ẩn cư lý tưởng của ông. (The wooden house on the mountain is his ideal place of seclusion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ẩn dật (verb): To live in hiding; to live in obscurity. Often used interchangeably with "ẩn cư" but can imply hiding from something specific (e.g., authorities, fame).
• Ẩn sĩ (noun): A hermit; a recluse. Refers to the person who practices "ẩn cư".
• Sống ẩn dật: To live a reclusive/hermit life. Similar to "sống ẩn cư".

Synonyms

• Sống cách biệt: To live apart/isolated.
• Sống ẩn dật: To live in seclusion/hermitage.
• Sống biệt lập: To live in isolation/seclusion.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: As a Vietnamese verb, "ẩn cư" does not combine with particles to form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. The concept is expressed through verb phrases or compound nouns.) - Lui về ẩn cư: To retreat to live in seclusion. - Sau khi từ chức, ông lui về ẩn cư ở quê nhà. (After resigning, he retreated to live in seclusion in his hometown.)

Related Idioms

• Treo ấn từ quan, về quê ẩn cư: (Literally: To hang up the official seal, resign from the mandarin post, and return to the homeland to live in seclusion.) An idiom describing a historical figure leaving a government position to live a private, secluded life.
  • Theo gương cổ nhân, ông treo ấn từ quan, về quê ẩn cư. (Following the ancients' example, he resigned from his post and returned to his homeland to live in seclusion.)

verb

1. To seclude oneself from the world