Definition

1. Noun (Literary, archaic):
   • Native country, homeland: Refers to one's place of birth or ancestral land.
   • Parents: Refers to one's father and mother, the origin of one's life.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Lòng luôn hướng về gốc tử. (His heart always turns towards his native country.)
  • Công ơn gốc tử sâu nặng khôn đền. (The profound debt to one's parents is hard to repay.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is primarily found in classical Vietnamese poetry and prose. It is a compound Sino-Vietnamese word ( = origin, root; = child) used to evoke a deep, sentimental connection to one's origins, either the homeland or one's parents. Its usage in modern Vietnamese is very rare and strictly literary or poetic.

Variants and Related Words

• Quê hương (n): Homeland, native land. (Modern, common synonym for the "country" meaning).
• Tổ quốc (n): Fatherland, homeland. (More formal/political).
• Song thân (n): (Literary) Both parents, father and mother.
• Phụ mẫu (n): (Literary) Parents.

Synonyms

• For "native country": Cố hương, quê cha đất tổ.
• For "parents": Cha mẹ, song thân, phụ mẫu.

Notes on Meaning

• The term encapsulates two core, related concepts: the geographical origin (homeland) and the biological origin (parents). This dual meaning stems from the classical worldview where one's identity is inextricably linked to both one's land and one's lineage. The specific meaning is usually clear from the literary context.

1. (văn chương, từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) Naative country
2. Parents