con côi

Cậu bé ấy là một đứa con côi.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Orphan: A child whose parents have died. This is the primary and most specific meaning of "con côi."
   • Parentless child: A child deprived of parental care, typically due to the death of both parents.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cậu bé ấy là một đứa con côi. (That boy is an orphan.)
  • Ngôi làng có một mái ấm nuôi dưỡng các con côi. (The village has a home that cares for orphans.)
  • Nó trở thành con côi từ khi còn rất nhỏ. (He became an orphan when he was very young.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "con côi" is often used in formal, literary, or sympathetic contexts to evoke a sense of loss and vulnerability. It is less common in casual daily conversation, where phrases like "trẻ mồ côi" are also used.
• It can be part of fixed, poetic expressions to describe a state of being alone or bereft.

Variants and Related Words

• Trẻ mồ côi (n): orphan, orphaned child. This is a very common synonym.

  • Quỹ từ thiện giúp đỡ trẻ mồ côi. (The charity helps orphans.)

• Mồ côi (adj): orphaned.

  • Nó mồ côi cha từ năm lên 5. (He was orphaned of his father at age 5.)

Synonyms

• Orphan: A child whose parents are dead.
• Parentless child: A child without living parents.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Con côi, cha cút: A phrase describing a state of being completely orphaned and alone, emphasizing total lack of family.

  • Sau trận dịch, nhiều đứa trẻ rơi vào cảnh con côi, cha cút. (After the epidemic, many children were left completely orphaned.)

• Côi cút: (Adjective/Adverb) Lonely, solitary, desolate. This word shares the root "côi" and describes a state of isolation.

  • Nó sống côi cút trong căn nhà nhỏ. (He lived alone and desolate in a small house.)