Definition

1. Noun:
   • Carbuncle on the spine: A serious, deep skin infection, typically involving a group of hair follicles, that forms a large, painful, swollen lump, specifically located on the back or spine.
   • Posterity / Future generation: A formal or literary term referring to the people who will live after the present generation; descendants or successors.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Medical):
  • Ông ấy phải nhập viện vì một cái hậu bối rất nguy hiểm. (He had to be hospitalized due to a very dangerous carbuncle on his spine.)
• Noun (Figurative):
  • Những di sản này là để dành cho hậu bối. (These legacies are reserved for posterity.)
  • Là hậu bối, chúng tôi nguyện phát huy truyền thống của cha anh. (As the younger generation, we vow to promote the traditions of our forefathers.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is used in both medical and formal/literary contexts. In modern everyday Vietnamese, the figurative meaning ("future generations") is more common in written language, speeches, or formal discourse than in casual conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Mụn nhọt (n): Boil, abscess (a general term for skin infections, less severe than "hậu bối").
• Thế hệ sau (n): Later generation (a common, neutral phrase for "future generation").
• Hậu thế (n): Posterity, future ages (a close synonym for the figurative meaning, slightly more common).

Synonyms

• Carbuncle (for the medical meaning).
• Posterity, descendants, successors, the following generation (for the figurative meaning).

Related Idioms

• Vì lợi ích của hậu bối: For the benefit of posterity/future generations.
  • Họ bảo tồn khu rừng vì lợi ích của hậu bối. (They preserve the forest for the benefit of posterity.)

1. Carbuncle on the spine