lẽ mọn
Definition
- Noun:
- A minor wife / a concubine: In historical Vietnamese polygamous society, "lẽ mọn" refers to a woman who is married to a man as a secondary or lower-ranking wife, distinct from the primary wife ("vợ cả").
- The status or condition of being a concubine: It can also refer to the social position and circumstances of such a woman, often implying a humble, subordinate, and less secure role within the family.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong xã hội phong kiến, phận lẽ mọn thường rất khổ cực. (In feudal society, the lot of a concubine was often very miserable.)
- Bà ấy không phải vợ cả mà chỉ là một người lẽ mọn. (She was not the primary wife but merely a concubine.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is historical and carries strong connotations of social hierarchy, gender inequality, and the lack of rights for women in past marital systems. It is rarely used in a modern context except when discussing history, literature, or social structures of the past.
Variants and Related Words
- Vợ lẽ (n): a synonym for concubine or secondary wife.
- Ông ta cưới thêm một người vợ lẽ. (He took an additional concubine.)
- Vợ cả (n): the primary, official wife.
- Vợ cả có địa vị cao hơn vợ lẽ. (The primary wife had a higher status than the concubine.)
- Thiếp (n): another historical term for a concubine.
Synonyms
- Concubine: a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than a wife.
- Secondary wife: a wife of lower rank in a polygamous marriage.
- Minor wife: a wife of subordinate status.
Related Idioms
- Phận lẽ mọn: This common phrase encapsulates the destiny, lowly fate, and subordinate condition of a concubine.
- Số phận của cô ấy là một phận lẽ mọn, không có tiếng nói trong gia đình. (Her destiny was that of a concubine, with no voice in the family.)