Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Nubile, of marriageable age: Describes a young woman who has reached puberty and is considered old enough to be married, according to traditional social norms. It emphasizes the physical and social readiness for marriage.
   • Pubescent, having reached puberty: Refers specifically to the state of having undergone the physical changes of puberty.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nhà hàng xóm có cô con gái đã đến thì. (The neighbor's family has a daughter who is nubile.)
  • Trong truyện cổ tích, công chúa thường được miêu tả khi đến thì. (In fairy tales, the princess is often described when she comes of age.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "đến thì" is somewhat literary and traditional. In modern, everyday Vietnamese, phrases like "đến tuổi lấy chồng" (old enough to get married) or "trưởng thành" (mature) are more commonly used for clarity.
• It is almost exclusively used to describe girls/young women, reflecting historical social contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Đến tuổi: To reach an age (a more general, neutral phrase).
  • Nó đã đến tuổi đi học. (He/She has reached the age for school.)
• Trưởng thành: Mature, grown-up (broader, applies to both genders and various aspects of maturity).
  • Một người trưởng thành về mặt cảm xúc. (An emotionally mature person.)

Synonyms

• Dậy thì: Puberty (noun), pubescent (adj). This is the standard modern term for the biological stage of puberty.
• Đến tuổi cập kê: A traditional idiom meaning "to reach the age of the rooster and hen," i.e., marriageable age.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of "đến thì" is deeply tied to traditional views of a woman's lifecycle, marking the transition from childhood to being eligible for marriage. Its usage today often carries a slightly old-fashioned or formal tone.
• It does not describe the act of arriving at a specific time (e.g., "đến lúc" or "đến giờ"). That is a different grammatical construction.

1. Nubile
   • Nhà có hai cô con gái đến thì
     They have got two nubile girls in that family