Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Meek, gentle, mild-tempered: Describes a person who is not fierce, aggressive, or harmful; possessing a calm, kind, and patient nature.
   • Virtuous, good-natured: Describes a person, especially a woman, who is morally good, obedient, and fulfills traditional familial roles properly.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy là một người rất hiền. (She is a very gentle/meek person.)
  • Tính anh ấy hiền lắm, chẳng bao giờ to tiếng với ai. (His temperament is very mild; he never raises his voice at anyone.)
  • Người ta thường nói "Ở hiền gặp lành". (People often say "If you live virtuously, good things will come to you.")

Advanced Usage

• "hiền lành": An intensified or more complete form meaning gentle, kind, and good-natured.
  • Bác hàng xóm mới chuyển đến trông rất hiền lành. (The new neighbor looks very kind and gentle.)
• "hiền hậu": Describes a gentle, benevolent, and compassionate character, often used for elders or figures of authority.
  • Bà ấy có khuôn mặt hiền hậu. (She has a benevolent face.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hiền từ (adj): Gentle and compassionate, often with a connotation of wisdom (e.g., a hiền từ grandfather).
• Hiền thục (adj, somewhat literary): Describes a woman who is gentle, virtuous, and dutiful.
• Hiền triết (n): A sage; a wise and virtuous philosopher.
• Hiền tài (n): Virtuous and talented people; used in contexts like recruiting capable individuals for the country.

Synonyms

• Hiền hòa: Gentle and amiable.
• Dịu dàng: Soft, gentle, tender (often describing manner or voice).
• Ngoan ngoãn: Well-behaved, obedient (often used for children).
• Đức hạnh: Virtuous (emphasizing moral character).

Related Phrases

• Ở hiền gặp lành: A proverb meaning "Goodness begets goodness" or "Virtue is rewarded."
• Vợ hiền dâu thảo: A phrase praising a virtuous wife and a dutiful daughter-in-law.
• Cầu hiền: (Literally: to seek the virtuous) Refers to a ruler's act of recruiting talented and virtuous people to serve.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary meaning relates to temperament (gentle, not fierce).
• A secondary, traditional meaning relates to moral character and virtue, especially in the context of Confucian family values, often used to describe women who are good wives and mothers.
• It is almost exclusively used to describe people or their nature, not objects or animals (for a gentle animal, "lành" or "hiền lành" might be used).

adj

1. meek; gentle; virtuous
   • vợ hiền
     Virtuous wife
   • hiền mẫu
     Virtous mother