Definition

1. Noun:
   • A peasant whose first child is a son: "Bố cu" is a colloquial and somewhat archaic term used to refer to a male peasant, specifically one whose firstborn child is a boy. It carries a connotation of low social status.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong làng, ai cũng gọi anh ấy là bố cu vì con đầu lòng của anh là trai. (In the village, everyone calls him "bố cu" because his first child is a boy.)
  • Cụm từ "bố cu" ngày nay ít được sử dụng. (The phrase "bố cu" is rarely used today.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often part of the fixed, derogatory compound "bố cu mẹ đĩ". This compound is an old, vulgar phrase used to contemptuously refer to commoners or people of low social standing. Note: This is a compound phrase and not an example of the standalone word "bố cu".
  • Hắn ta có thái độ khinh thường, coi mọi người như bố cu mẹ đĩ. (He has a contemptuous attitude, looking down on everyone as lowly commoners.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mẹ đĩ (n): A vulgar, archaic term for a woman of low social status, often paired with "bố cu".
• Dân đen (n): Commoner, ordinary people (a less vulgar, more general term).
• Thường dân (n): Commoner, civilian.

Synonyms

• Nông dân (n): Farmer, peasant (a neutral, standard term without the specific connotation of the first child's gender).
• Kẻ quê mùa (n): Bumpkin, rustic person (derogatory, emphasizing lack of sophistication).

Notes on Usage

• Register: The word "bố cu" is colloquial (thông tục), archaic (từ cũ), and carries a derogatory nuance. It is not used in formal or modern standard Vietnamese.
• Context: Its primary historical use was to identify a peasant man by the gender of his first child. Its modern relevance is largely historical or in understanding older texts and compound phrases.

1. (form of addressing a) Peasant with a son as first child