Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dutiful child, a filial child: "Hiếu tử" refers to a child who demonstrates deep respect, love, and care for their parents, fulfilling their filial duties. This term strongly emphasizes the virtue of filial piety ("hiếu thảo").
   • A dutiful son: While the term can apply to any child, it is historically and contextually often used to refer specifically to a son who is exceptionally devoted to his parents.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong câu chuyện, anh ta được ca ngợi là một hiếu tử. (In the story, he is praised as a dutiful son.)
  • Làm một hiếu tử là trách nhiệm và niềm vinh dự của nhiều người. (Being a dutiful child is the responsibility and honor of many people.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "hiếu tử" carries a formal and somewhat classical tone. It is often found in literary contexts, historical narratives, proverbs, and discussions about traditional Confucian values.
• It is typically used as a term of high praise and moral commendation.

Variants and Related Words

• Hiếu thảo (adj): Filial, dutiful. This is the more common adjective describing the quality of being a "hiếu tử".
  • Cô ấy là một người con rất hiếu thảo. (She is a very filial child.)
• Bất hiếu (adj/n): Unfilial, undutiful. This is the antonym.
  • Hành động đó bị coi là bất hiếu. (That action is considered unfilial.)
• Chữ Hiếu: The Chinese character for and the concept of "filial piety".

Synonyms

• Người con có hiếu: A child with filial piety. (This is a more descriptive, modern synonym.)
• Con ngoan: A good/obedient child. (This is a broader, more everyday term that can imply filial piety but is less specific.)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Trai tài, gái sắc, con hiếu": A traditional saying listing desirable qualities: a talented man, a beautiful woman, and a filial child.
• The concept is central to many Vietnamese idioms and proverbs about family duty, such as those contrasting "hiếu" (filial piety) with "trung" (loyalty to the country).

1. Dutiful child, dutiful son