con cả
Definition
- Noun:
- Eldest child: The first-born child in a family, regardless of gender. This term emphasizes birth order and the traditional responsibilities often associated with it.
- Eldest son: In more specific or traditional contexts, it can refer specifically to the first-born son, who may hold particular familial duties.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chị tôi là con cả trong gia đình. (My older sister is the eldest child in the family.)
- Là con cả, anh ấy có nhiều trách nhiệm. (As the eldest son, he has many responsibilities.)
- Con cả thường là chỗ dựa cho bố mẹ. (The eldest child is often the support for the parents.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "con cả" carries cultural weight, often implying a role of leadership, example-setting, and duty towards younger siblings and parents within the Vietnamese family structure.
Variants and Related Words
Con trưởng (n): A more formal term for the eldest child, often used in legal or ceremonial contexts.
- Quyền thừa kế đôi khi thuộc về con trưởng. (Inheritance rights sometimes belong to the eldest child.)
Con đầu lòng (n): The first-born child. This phrase focuses more on the fact of being born first rather than the ongoing social role.
- Niềm vui khi đón con đầu lòng thật khó tả. (The joy of welcoming your first-born child is indescribable.)
Synonyms
- Eldest child: The first-born offspring.
- First-born: The child born first to a parent.
Related Idioms
Làm anh làm chị (con cả): To act as the elder sibling (to set a good example). This idiom references the expected behavior of the eldest child.
- Là con cả, nó phải biết làm anh làm chị. (As the eldest, he/she must know how to set a good example.)
Gánh vác gia đình (như con cả): To shoulder family responsibilities (as the eldest child does).
- Từ nhỏ, cô ấy đã phải gánh vác gia đình như con cả. (From a young age, she had to shoulder family responsibilities as the eldest child.)