Definition

1. Verb:
   • To give in marriage: To arrange for one's daughter (or, less commonly, a female relative under one's guardianship) to become a wife to a man. This verb is typically used from the perspective of the parents or guardians who have the authority to arrange the marriage.
   • To marry off: To cause a woman to be married, often implying the action of the person who arranges or consents to the marriage.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cha mẹ đã gả cô ấy cho một thương gia. (Her parents gave her in marriage to a merchant.)
  • Ngày xưa, cha thường gả con gái cho người trong làng. (In the past, fathers often married off their daughters to someone from the village.)
  • Bà ấy không muốn gả con gái mình sớm. (She does not want to give her daughter in marriage early.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "gả" traditionally emphasizes the action of the family, particularly the father, in arranging a marriage. It is less commonly used for the act of a woman marrying of her own volition. In modern usage, it can sometimes carry a slightly archaic or formal tone.
• "Gả bán": to marry off (often in a transactional or forced context, with a negative connotation).
  • Câu chuyện về người con gái bị gả bán cho một ông lão. (The story of a young woman who was married off/sold to an old man.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cưới gả (v): The combined process of marriage arrangements, encompassing both the groom's side taking a wife ("cưới") and the bride's side giving a daughter ("gả").
  • Lễ cưới gả được tổ chức long trọng. (The wedding ceremony was held grandly.)
• Gả chồng (v): Specifically to give a daughter in marriage; to find a husband for someone.
  • Bà ấy lo lắng về việc gả chồng cho con gái. (She is worried about finding a husband for her daughter.)

Synonyms

• To give in marriage: The primary synonym, focusing on the act of granting a daughter's hand.
• To marry off: A common English equivalent, often used in a neutral or slightly informal context.
• To wed (archaic/formal, from the parent's perspective): Used in contexts like "He wed his daughter to a nobleman."

Related Idioms

• Gả bán cho đất, cho trời: An idiom implying a forced or unfortunate marriage where the daughter is given away without consideration for her happiness, as if to the earth or sky (i.e., to anyone or anything).
  • Đừng để con mình rơi vào cảnh gả bán cho đất, cho trời. (Do not let your child end up in a situation of being married off to just anyone.)

verb

1. to give in marriage; to marry one's daughter