Definition

1. Noun:
   • Stepmother: A woman who is married to one's father after the death or separation of one's biological mother. This term specifically refers to the father's principal wife following the mother's passing.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau khi mẹ tôi mất, cha tôi lấy bà ấy làm kế mẫu. (After my mother passed away, my father married her to be my stepmother.)
  • Cô ấy đối xử với các con kế mẫu của mình rất tốt. (She treats her stepchildren very well.)
  • Trong câu chuyện cổ tích, nhân vật kế mẫu thường rất độc ác. (In fairy tales, the stepmother character is often very cruel.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "kế mẫu" is considered somewhat formal or literary in modern Vietnamese. In everyday conversation, "mẹ kế" is more commonly used with the same meaning.
• It traditionally implies the context of the biological mother having died, though in contemporary usage, it can also apply after a divorce or separation.

Variants and Related Words

• Mẹ kế (n): The more common, everyday term for "stepmother". It is synonymous with "kế mẫu".
  • Tôi có một người mẹ kế rất hiền. (I have a very kind stepmother.)
• Con riêng (n): Stepchild.
  • Bà ấy yêu thương những đứa con riêng của chồng như con đẻ. (She loves her husband's stepchildren as her own.)
• Cha dượng (n): Stepfather.
  • Anh ấy sống cùng cha dượng. (He lives with his stepfather.)

Synonyms

• Stepmother: The direct English equivalent.
• Stepparent: A more general term for a parent by marriage.

Notes on Meaning

• "Kế mẫu" specifically denotes the father's wife who is not one's biological mother. It carries a traditional nuance, often found in classical literature or formal contexts.
• It is distinct from "dì ghẻ", which can have a more negative connotation akin to "wicked stepmother". "Kế mẫu" is a neutral, factual term.

1. như mẹ kế