gái già
Definition
- Noun:
- An older unmarried woman; a spinster: This term refers to a woman who has reached a certain age (typically considered past the conventional age for marriage) and remains single. It often carries a self-deprecating, humorous, or slightly mocking tone.
- A mature woman (used self-referentially): The term is frequently used by women themselves in a self-mocking or humorous way to refer to their own unmarried status at an older age.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Cô ấy tự nhận mình là gái già rồi. (She calls herself an older unmarried woman now.)
- "Lấy chồng thì gái già này xin van." ("If it's about getting married, this old maid begs to differ." - Nguyễn Khuyến)
Advanced Usage
- The term gái già is informal and can be considered slightly vulgar or derogatory when used by others. However, it is commonly used in a self-referential, ironic, or humorous context by women to describe their own situation, thereby softening its potentially negative connotation.
- It reflects specific social and cultural attitudes towards marriage and age for women.
Variants and Related Words
- Ế: (slang, adjective/verb) To be left on the shelf; to be single/unmarried. Often used similarly but is more casual and broader.
- Gái ế: (slang, noun) A woman who is 'left on the shelf'; an unmarried woman. More modern and colloquial than gái già.
- Gái chưa chồng: (neutral, noun) An unmarried woman. A more neutral, descriptive term without the age or humorous implication.
Synonyms
- Spinster: (noun) An older woman who is not married. (More formal, can carry a negative stereotype in English.)
- Old maid: (noun) An older unmarried woman. (Informal, often derogatory.)
- Unmarried woman: (noun phrase) A neutral, descriptive term.
Related Phrases
- Làm *gái già*: To live as an older unmarried woman; to be an old maid.
- Cô ấy quyết định làm gái già, sống tự do tự tại. (She decided to be an old maid, living a free and independent life.)
Related Idioms
- Gái già lấy được chồng: (An older unmarried woman finally gets married.) This phrase is sometimes used to express surprise or to highlight a fortunate, albeit late, event.
- Thật là gái già lấy được chồng! (It's a real case of an old maid getting a husband!)