tâu
Definition
- Verb:
- To address (a monarch or superior): To speak formally to a king, emperor, or a person of very high authority, typically to present information or a request.
- To report or inform on someone: To tell someone in authority, especially a superior, about the wrongdoings or faults of another person, often with a negative connotation of being a tattletale or informer.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Thần tâu bệ hạ, quân địch đã đến gần kinh thành. (I report to Your Majesty, the enemy forces have approached the capital.)
- Đứa bé hay tâu mọi chuyện với mẹ. (That child often tells on everyone to his mother.)
- Có gì cũng tâu với chủ. (He reports everything to the master.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "tâu" is deeply rooted in historical and hierarchical contexts, specifically relating to feudal courts. Its modern usage often carries an archaic or formal flavor and can be used ironically.
- In contemporary informal speech, it is primarily used in the second sense ("to tell on someone") and is considered somewhat childish or derogatory.
Variants and Related Words
Tâu bẩm (v): A more polite and humble compound verb meaning to report respectfully to a superior.
- Tôi xin tâu bẩm Ngài. (I respectfully report to you, Sir.)
Tâu trình (v): To present or submit a report (formal).
- Viên quan tâu trình sự việc lên nhà vua. (The official presented the matter to the king.)
Synonyms
- Report: To give a spoken or written account of something.
- Address: To speak to formally.
- Inform on: To give information about someone's misdeeds to an authority.
Related Idioms
- Tâu hươu tâu vượn: To report groundless or exaggerated stories; to tell tall tales. This idiom emphasizes the act of reporting false or frivolous information.
- Đừng nghe nó, nó chỉ tâu hươu tâu vượn thôi. (Don't listen to him; he's just telling tall tales.)