chúc

See also: chuc, chức, and chục

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cʊwk͡p̚˦˥]

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 祝 (“to wish/to pray/to bless”).

Verb

chúc

1. to tell someone that you wish/hope something good will happen to them; compare cầu (“to pray”) and ước (“to wish in your mind”)

   Gọi điện chúc bà năm mới đi con.

   Call your grandma and wish her a happy new year.

   (Con) (kính) chúc cụ sống lâu trăm tuổi.

   I/We wish you live for a hundred years.

   Chúc anh một năm mới an khang thịnh vượng.

   I/We wish you a happy new year.

Usage notes

• As with chào (“to greet”), a subject is not required if you are the person who is doing the wishing. However, it might be considered bad form for young children not to use their appropriate pronoun.
• This verb is used with a pattern serendipitously similar to that of English wish. To use English terms, the pattern is chúc somebody ("indirect object") something ("direct object"), as in chúc ông một năm mới tốt lành (“I wish you a prosperous new year”). Another pattern that is not so serendipitous is chúc somebody adjective or verb, as in chúc bà mạnh khoẻ (adjective), sống lâu (verb) (“I wish you a long, healthy life”).

Derived terms

Derived terms

• cầu chúc
• chúc mừng
• chúc tụng

 

Etymology 2

Perhaps this is a figurative meaning from Etymology 1 (considering the custom of praying, blessing, or wishing with one's head lowered or body kneeling).

Verb

chúc

1. to lean downward; to bend downward; to decline (in angle)