cụ bà
Definition
- Noun:
- Great-grandmother: A female ancestor three generations removed, the mother of one's grandparent.
- Respectful term for an elderly woman: A polite and venerable form of address or reference for an old lady, implying high respect for her age and wisdom.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Cụ bà của tôi năm nay đã 95 tuổi. (My great-grandmother is 95 years old this year.)
- Mọi người trong làng đều kính trọng cụ bà ấy. (Everyone in the village respects that elderly lady.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "cụ" is a highly respectful title for the elderly. "Cụ bà" specifies gender. The male counterpart is "cụ ông".
- It is used both for direct kinship (great-grandmother) and as a honorific for unrelated, revered elderly women, often in formal or traditional contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Cụ ông (n): A respectful term for an elderly man; great-grandfather.
- Cụ ông ngồi đọc báo ở sân. (The elderly man sat reading the newspaper in the yard.)
- Bà cố (n): Another term for great-grandmother, less formal than "cụ bà".
- Tôi nghe nhiều câu chuyện từ bà cố. (I heard many stories from my great-grandmother.)
Synonyms
- Great-grandmother: A female great-grandparent.
- Matriarch: A venerable older woman, often the head of a family.
- Elderly lady / Dowager: A polite term for an old woman of dignified status.
Related Idioms
- Kính lão đắc thọ: (An idiom meaning "Respecting the elderly brings longevity"). This cultural concept is embodied in the respectful use of "cụ bà".
- Người Việt có truyền thống kính lão đắc thọ, thể hiện qua cách gọi "cụ bà". (Vietnamese people have the tradition of "respecting the elderly brings longevity," shown through the use of the term "cụ bà".)