bóng tang

Ông cụ ngồi nghỉ dưới bóng tang ở sân nhà.

Definition

1. Noun (Literary/Figurative):
   • The shadow of a mulberry tree: A poetic and classical metaphor symbolizing one's elderly parents, particularly their advanced age and the idea of their nearing the end of life, much like the long, fading shadow cast by an old tree.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhìn bóng tang mà lòng xót xa. (Looking at the shadow of the mulberry tree, my heart aches [with thought of aging parents].)
  • Bóng tang đã xế, lo phụng dưỡng cha mẹ. (The mulberry's shadow is long; it's time to care for my parents.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is almost exclusively found in classical Vietnamese poetry, literary works, or proverbs. It is not used in everyday modern conversation but is employed to evoke filial piety, nostalgia, and the passage of time.

Variants and Related Words

• Hiếu thảo (adj/n): filial piety; being devoted and respectful to one's parents.

  • Con cái phải có lòng hiếu thảo. (Children must have filial piety.)

• Song thân (n, literary): both parents; father and mother.

  • Lo cho song thân đã già. (To care for both parents who are now old.)

Synonyms

• Aging parents: The direct conceptual synonym in English, though it lacks the poetic imagery.
• Declining years of parents: A phrase describing the same life stage.

Related Idioms and Classical References

• The term originates from the cultural and literary tradition where the mulberry tree (cây dâu) is associated with parents and the home. The "shadow" (bóng) growing long symbolizes the late afternoon of life.
• "Bóng tang đã xế": A common literary phrase meaning "the shadow of the mulberry is slanting," directly indicating that one's parents are very old and one's time to care for them is urgent.