chúc

See also: chuc, chức, and chục

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) 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)