Definition

1. Adjective (Traditional Custom):
   • Having completed the traditional postpartum confinement period for a newborn and mother. Specifically, it marks the point when a newborn boy is seven days old or a newborn girl is nine days old, according to certain Vietnamese folk beliefs and customs.
   • Describing a woman who has finished her prescribed period of postpartum abstinence and recovery (cữ) following childbirth.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa bé gái nhà tôi sắp đầy cữ. (My baby girl is almost nine days old / has nearly completed her initial confinement period.)
  • Sau khi đầy cữ, người mẹ có thể bắt đầu làm việc nhẹ. (After completing the confinement period, the mother can begin to do light chores.)
  • Theo tục lệ, con trai làm lễ đầy cữ vào ngày thứ bảy. (According to custom, a ceremony is held for a boy on his seventh day.)

Advanced Usage

• The concept is deeply tied to traditional Vietnamese postpartum practices (), where the mother and newborn are secluded to protect their health. signifies the end of this first, most strict phase, often marked by a small family ceremony or ritual.
• While rooted in folk practice, the term is still understood and sometimes used in modern contexts, especially within families observing traditional customs.

Variants and Related Words

• Ở cữ (v): To observe the postpartum confinement period.

  • Sản phụ thường ở cữ trong một tháng. (New mothers typically observe confinement for a month.)

• Cữ (n): The set period of confinement or abstinence; can also refer to a period between breastfeedings for an infant.

  • Em bé bú đúng cữ. (The baby feeds on a regular schedule.)

Synonyms

• To complete the confinement period: The direct conceptual synonym in English.
• Postpartum milestone: A descriptive term for the event.

Notes on Usage

• Register: This term is traditional and somewhat archaic. In everyday modern conversation, people are more likely to refer directly to the baby's age in days (e.g., "cháu bé được 7 ngày tuổi" - the baby is 7 days old). However, carries specific cultural connotations beyond just the age.
• Cultural Context: The different durations for boys (7 days) and girls (9 days) reflect historical folk beliefs. The term inherently implies this gendered distinction.

1. Having spent one's period of abstinence(người đàn bà sau khi dde?)
   • Seven full days old (con trai); nine full days old (con gái)