Etymology 1
From Proto-Vietic *-giːʔ, whence also gậy.
Verb
cậy • (忌, 𢚁)
- (rarely used alone) to rely on; to pin one's hopes (on)
- Nam quốc phương ngôn tục ngữ bị lục (南國方言俗語備錄 "Records of the Southern Nation's regional adages and common sayings"), 1914 version, 16a
穉𢚁吒𫅷𢚁𡥵- When young, one relies on one's father; when old, one relies on one's child
1820, Nguyễn Du, Truyện Kiều (傳翹), published 1870, lines 723-624:𢭄㛪㛪拱𠹾𠳒
𡎥蓮朱姉𥛉耒仕疎- I'm pinning my hopes on you, little sister, will you accept my word?
Please be seated, your elder sister will bow to you ere she speaks.
- c. 53 - 54, 1 Corinthians 13:13; 2011 Vietnamese translation from KPA version; 2021 English translation from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Hiện nay đức tin, đức cậy, đức mến, cả ba đều tồn tại, nhưng cao trọng hơn cả là đức mến.- And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.
- (by extension) to pride oneself (on); to plume oneself (on); to congratulate oneself (on)
- cậy là mình [with adjective] ― to bank on oneself being [with adjective]
- cậy là mình [with verb] ― to bank on that one [with verb]
1921 [1794], Huang Yan (黃岩), chapter 22, in Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, transl., Lĩnh Nam dật sử, translation of 嶺南逸史:Lai Đắc tự hiệu là Phi-thiên ngô-công, hay đứng ở trên mình ngựa múa thanh đại-đao nặng ba trăm cân, xưa nay vẫn tự cậy là khỏe, vốn không hiệp với Lam Năng.- Lai Đắc styled himself the Flying Centipede, often stood on his horse and flourished his three-hundred-catty-heavy great glaive; hitherto, he always prided himself on his strength, and never got along with Lam Năng.
2014 February 19, “Chồng lo vun vén của riêng, bỏ mặc vợ con”, in vov.vn:Chồng tôi gia trưởng, bảo thủ và ích kỷ, chỉ nghĩ cho bản thân mình, lúc nào anh ấy cũng cậy là mình có tiền.- My husband is despotic, conservative, and selfish, only thinking about himself; he always plumes himself on having money.
Etymology 2
See also
- thị (“yellow persimmon, Diospyros decandra”)
- hồng (“persimmon, Diospyros kaki”)
Etymology 3
Verb
cậy
- Alternative form of cạy