Definition

1. Noun:
   • Elder sister: A female sibling who is older than the speaker. This is the primary familial meaning.
   • First cousin (female): Specifically, the daughter of one's parent's elder sibling (either an elder brother or elder sister).
   • (Form of address): A polite and common term used to address a young woman or a woman who is approximately the same age or older than the speaker. It is also used by a woman to refer to herself when speaking to someone younger in a familiar context.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Familial):
  • Chị tôi là bác sĩ. (My elder sister is a doctor.)
  • Chị họ của tôi sống ở Hà Nội. (My elder female cousin lives in Hanoi.)
• Noun (Form of address):
  • Chị có thể giúp tôi không? (Can you help me, miss/ma'am?)
  • Chị sẽ mua cái này. (I [an elder sister/young woman] will buy this.)

Advanced Usage

• "chị ruột": Blood elder sister.
  • Cô ấy là chị ruột của tôi. (She is my blood elder sister.)
• "chị dâu": Sister-in-law (specifically, the wife of one's elder brother).
  • Chị dâu tôi rất tốt bụng. (My sister-in-law [elder brother's wife] is very kind.)
• "chị họ": Elder female cousin (as defined above).
  • Chúng tôi đi chơi với chị họ. (We went out with our elder female cousin.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chị cả (n): The eldest sister in a family.
  • Chị cả trong nhà phải chăm sóc các em. (The eldest sister in the family has to take care of the younger siblings.)
• Chị em (n): Sisters; also used broadly to refer to a close collective of women.
  • Chị em chúng tôi rất thân nhau. (We sisters are very close.)

Synonyms

• Elder sister: Older female sibling.
• Miss / Ma'am: Polite terms for addressing a woman (contextual equivalent for the form of address).
• Cousin: A child of one's aunt or uncle (more specific in Vietnamese with "chị họ").

Related Idioms

• Chị ngã em nâng: Literally "When the elder sister falls, the younger sibling lifts her up." An idiom expressing solidarity and support between siblings.
  • Gia đình nên có tinh thần chị ngã em nâng. (Families should have the spirit of supporting each other.)
• Kính trên nhường dưới: A broader principle meaning "Respect those above, yield to those below," which governs the respectful use of terms like "chị."
  • Văn hóa Việt Nam coi trọng lễ nghĩa kính trên nhường dưới. (Vietnamese culture values the etiquette of respecting elders and yielding to juniors.)

noun

1. Elder sister, first cousin (daughter of one's either parent's elder brother or sister)
   • chị ruột
     elder blood sister
   • chị dâu
     sister-in-law (one's elder brother's wife)
   • chị họ
     first female cousin (one's either parent's elder brother's or sister's daughter)
2. (Form of address for young women or women about or above one's age, or young women younger than one)