Definition

1. Noun (Botany):

   • Dodder: A common name for plants in the Cuscuta genus, which are parasitic vines. They lack chlorophyll and appear as thin, yellow or orange, thread-like stems that twine around and extract nutrients from host plants.

2. Noun (Figurative/Literary):

   • Marriage ties / Bonds of matrimony: A poetic and traditional metaphor referring to the invisible, fated bond that is believed to connect two people destined to be married. It symbolizes the concept of a predestined romantic connection.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Botany):

  • Cánh đồng bị nhiễm dây tơ hồng. (The field is infested with dodder.)
  • Dây tơ hồng ký sinh trên cây chủ. (The dodder is a parasite on the host plant.)

• Noun (Figurative):

  • Họ được se duyên bởi dây tơ hồng. (They were connected by the red thread of fate / marriage ties.)
  • Ông Tơ bà Nguyệt xe dây tơ hồng. (The Old Man of the Moon and the Moon Lady spin the thread of matrimony.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative meaning is deeply rooted in East Asian folklore and mythology, often associated with the celestial matchmakers, "Ông Tơ" (Old Man of Fate) and "Bà Nguyệt" (Moon Lady), who are said to bind the ankles of destined couples with an invisible red thread.

Variants and Related Words

• Cây tơ hồng: Another term for the dodder plant.
• Dây tơ hồng đỏ / Chỉ hồng: Literally "red thread," directly referencing the figurative bond of love and marriage.

Synonyms

• Botanical: Cuscuta, love vine, hellweed, strangleweed.
• Figurative: Bond of fate, red string of fate, matrimonial bond, predestined tie.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Se duyên tơ hồng / Xe duyên tơ hồng: To act as a matchmaker; to bring a couple together (lit., to spin or join the matrimonial thread).
  • Người mai mối đã se duyên tơ hồng cho họ. (The matchmaker spun the red thread for them.)
• Duyên tơ hồng: Refers specifically to the predestined romantic relationship or marriage affinity.
  • Hai người ấy có duyên tơ hồng với nhau. (Those two are fated for each other.)

1. (thực vật) Dođer
2. Marriage ties