Definition

1. Noun:
   • Thole, tholepin: A wooden or metal pin fixed to the gunwale (side) of a boat, serving as a fulcrum or pivot point for an oar during rowing.
   • Brothers-in-law (married to two sisters): A term describing the relationship between two men who are married to a pair of sisters. This is a figurative, idiomatic usage derived from the original nautical meaning.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Thole/Tholepin):

  • Anh ấy buộc mái chèo vào cọc chèo. (He tied the oar to the tholepin.)
  • Cọc chèo bằng sắt sẽ bền hơn. (An iron tholepin will be more durable.)

• Noun (Brothers-in-law):

  • Bố tôi và bác tôi là anh em cọc chèo. (My father and my uncle are brothers-in-law (married to sisters).)
  • "Bố vợ là vớ cọc chèo" là một câu tục ngữ. ("A father-in-law is like a tholepin" is a proverb.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is a classic example of a Vietnamese metaphor where a concrete, everyday object ( - tholepin) is used to describe a specific human relationship. The analogy lies in the idea of two separate oars (the sisters) being connected to and pivoting around the same boat (the family) via their respective pins (the husbands).

Variants and Related Words

• Bạn cọc chèo: A more casual or friendly term for a brother-in-law married to one's wife's sister.
• Anh em cọc chèo: The standard term for the relationship between two men married to sisters.

Synonyms

• Chốt chèo: Another, less common term for a thole or oarlock.
• Anh em rể: The more formal and literal term for brothers-in-law (through marriage to sisters).

Related Idioms

• Bố vợ là vớ cọc chèo: A proverb. Literally: "A father-in-law is like a tholepin." It implies that a father-in-law's role or position is as essential and supportive as a tholepin is to rowing. It can carry nuances of being indispensable, a fixed point of support, or sometimes, being taken for granted.

noun

1. Thole, tholepin
   • bạn cọc chèo, anh em cọc chèo
     brothers-in-law (married to two sisters)