Definition

1. Verb:
   • To swear brotherhood/sisterhood; to form a sworn bond of brotherhood/sisterhood: "kết nghĩa" refers to the act of two or more people (or entities) formally establishing a relationship considered as close as, or equivalent to, that of biological siblings. This bond is often solemnized through a ritual or ceremony.
   • To form a pact of friendship or alliance: It can also describe the act of two parties (e.g., schools, units, organizations) forming a special, supportive partnership, likened to a familial bond.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai người bạn thân đã kết nghĩa anh em trong một buổi lễ trang trọng. (The two close friends swore brotherhood in a solemn ceremony.)
  • Lớp chúng tôi kết nghĩa với một lớp ở vùng cao để giúp đỡ lẫn nhau. (Our class formed a sister-class alliance with a class in the highlands to support each other.)
  • Truyện cổ tích thường kể về những nhân vật kết nghĩa huynh đệ. (Folk tales often tell of characters who become sworn brothers.)

Advanced Usage

• "kết nghĩa huynh đệ" / "kết nghĩa anh em": to become sworn brothers. This is the most common and specific phrase.
  • Họ kết nghĩa huynh đệ, thề cùng sống chết có nhau. (They became sworn brothers, vowing to share life and death.)
• "kết nghĩa chị em": to become sworn sisters.
  • Hai cô gái ấy đã kết nghĩa chị em từ thuở nhỏ. (Those two girls have been sworn sisters since childhood.)
• "kết nghĩa đồng bào": a more formal or literary way to express forming a fraternal bond, often on a larger communal scale.

Variants and Related Words

• Kết (verb): to tie, to bind, to connect, to conclude. It is the root verb indicating forming a connection.
• Nghĩa (noun): here, it means "righteous bond," "moral obligation," or "deep, morally-bound relationship." It is a key component in terms like "tình nghĩa" (affection and obligation), "ân nghĩa" (debt of gratitude).
• Nghĩa huynh đệ (noun): brotherly bond/fraternity.
• Kết bạn (verb): to make friends (a more general term without the solemn, familial connotation of "kết nghĩa").

Synonyms

• Thề nguyền kết nghĩa: to vow to become sworn siblings (emphasizes the vow).
• Kết tình anh chị em: to form a brotherly/sisterly bond (less formal, focuses on the emotional bond).
• Kết làm anh em: to become brothers (colloquial).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Kết nghĩa vườn đào": Literally "to swear brotherhood in the peach garden." This idiom originates from the famous oath of brotherhood taken by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in the Chinese classic . It epitomizes the ideal of loyal, sworn brotherhood.
  • Tình bạn của họ sâu nặng như kết nghĩa vườn đào. (Their friendship is as profound as the oath in the peach garden.)
• "Anh em kết nghĩa": sworn brothers (a noun phrase describing the relationship).
  • Họ là anh em kết nghĩa, không phải anh em ruột. (They are sworn brothers, not biological brothers.)

1. Swear brotherhood, Swear