Definition

1. Noun:
   • Step-mother: A woman who is married to one's father but is not one's biological mother. This term specifically refers to the relationship from the perspective of the children from the father's previous marriage.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau khi mẹ tôi mất, bố tôi lấy một người phụ nữ khác. Bây giờ tôi có một dì ghẻ. (After my mother passed away, my father married another woman. Now I have a step-mother.)
  • Mối quan hệ giữa dì ghẻ và con chồng đôi khi rất phức tạp. (The relationship between a step-mother and her step-children can sometimes be very complicated.)
  • Trong truyện cổ tích, dì ghẻ thường được miêu tả là người độc ác. (In fairy tales, the step-mother is often portrayed as a cruel person.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "dì ghẻ" carries a specific cultural and emotional weight. It is a compound noun where "dì" can mean aunt or a term for a younger woman, and "ghẻ" implies a distant, cold, or non-biological relationship. It is often used in contrast with "mẹ đẻ" (biological mother) or "mẹ kế" (a more neutral term for step-mother).
• The phrase "dì ghẻ con chồng" is a common idiom describing the stereotypically difficult relationship between a step-mother and her step-children.

Variants and Related Words

• Mẹ kế (noun): Step-mother. This is a more formal or neutral term than "dì ghẻ."
• Cha dượng (noun): Step-father.
• Con riêng (noun): Step-child (from a previous relationship of one's spouse).

Synonyms

• Mẹ kế: Step-mother (more neutral connotation).
• Kế mẫu: Step-mother (literary, formal term).

Related Phrases

• Dì ghẻ con chồng: The dynamic/relationship between a step-mother and her step-son/step-daughter. This phrase is often used to describe a fraught or challenging relationship.
  • Câu chuyện đó là một bi kịch điển hình về dì ghẻ con chồng. (That story is a classic tragedy about a step-mother and step-child relationship.)

Related Idioms

• Dì ghẻ, mẹ chồng: A saying referring to two traditionally difficult family relationships for a woman (step-mother and mother-in-law), often used to imply a source of trouble or conflict.
  • Cô ấy phải đối mặt với cả dì ghẻ lẫn mẹ chồng, thật không dễ dàng. (She has to deal with both a step-mother and a mother-in-law; it's really not easy.)

noun

1. step-mother