Definition

1. Noun:
   • One's lawful and virtuous wife: An archaic term used to respectfully refer to one's principal, legally married wife, emphasizing her virtue and proper status within the family.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy luôn đối xử trân trọng với bố kinh của mình. (He always treated his lawful and virtuous wife with great respect.)
  • Theo truyền thống, bố kinh có vị trí quan trọng trong gia đình. (Traditionally, the lawful and virtuous wife held an important position in the household.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is archaic and literary. It is almost exclusively found in classical Vietnamese literature, historical texts, or formal writings from past centuries. It is not used in modern, everyday conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Chính thất (n): Principal wife (another formal/archaic term).
• Vợ cả (n): First/principal wife (less formal than , but also dated).
• Phu nhân (n): Madame, Lady (a respectful term for one's wife or another man's wife, can be used in formal modern contexts).

Synonyms

• Vợ chính thức: Official/Lawful wife (modern, neutral term).
• Vợ hợp pháp: Legal wife (modern, legalistic term).

Notes on Meaning

• The term bố kinh carries strong connotations of legitimacy, virtue, and formal marital status. It specifically denotes the wife who is recognized by family and society according to traditional norms and laws. It often implies a contrast with concubines or secondary wives, which were part of the social structure in pre-modern Vietnam.

1. (từ cũ, nghĩa cũ) One's lawful and virtuous wife