Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a "high number" (in fortune-telling), destined to marry late: A term primarily used in the context of folk belief and fortune-telling, referring to a person (traditionally and most commonly a woman) whose predicted marital fate indicates they will marry at a later age than usual.
   • Describing someone who remains single until a relatively late age: Used to describe a person, especially a woman, who has not married by the age conventionally expected in society.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Chị ấy bị coi là cao số nên vẫn chưa lấy chồng. (She is considered to have a 'high number' [destined to marry late], so she hasn't gotten married yet.)
  • Ngày xưa, con gái mà cao số thường bị gia đình lo lắng. (In the past, families would often worry if a daughter had a 'high number' [was fated to marry late].)
  • Anh ta cũng cao số đấy, sắp bốn mươi rồi vẫn độc thân. (He also has a 'high number' [is fated to marry late]; he's nearly forty and still single.)

Advanced Usage

• The concept stems from folk geomancy (, ), where a person's birth details are calculated to produce a set of numerical "fates." A "high number" in the aspect of marriage signifies delay.
• While historically and stereotypically applied to women, in modern usage it can be applied to men, though less frequently.
• It often carries a slight, sometimes sympathetic, negative connotation regarding social expectations, though this is fading.

Variants and Related Words

• Có số (v): To have a certain fate/number. This is the broader concept.
• Số phận (n): Fate, destiny.
• Lấy chồng muộn (v): To marry late (a neutral, descriptive phrase without the fortune-telling implication).

Synonyms

• Có số lấy chồng muộn: To have the fate of marrying late.
• Số muộn màng (trong hôn nhân): Having a tardy fate (in marriage).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Số cao vòi vọi: An intensified idiom meaning "an exceedingly high number," emphasizing a very long delay or the possibility of never marrying.
  • Cô ấy số cao vòi vọi, khó mà có duyên. (Her 'number' is sky-high; it's hard for her to have marital缘分 [fated connection].)
• Số đào hoa: The "romantic/flirtatious number." This is sometimes contrasted with or seen as a different type of fate that can also lead to delayed marriage due to many romantic entanglements.

1. To get married late (nói về con gái)