lệnh lang
Definition
- Noun (Archaic):
- Your son: A polite and archaic term used by a speaker to refer to the son of the person they are conversing with. It is a formal, honorific form of address.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Lệnh lang của ngài quả thật là tài giỏi. (Your son is truly talented.)
- Xin hỏi, lệnh lang năm nay bao nhiêu tuổi? (May I ask, how old is your son this year?)
Advanced Usage
- This term is found in classical literature, historical texts, or in very formal, traditional contexts. It is obsolete in modern, everyday Vietnamese speech.
Variants and Related Words
- Lệnh ái (n, archaic): Your daughter. A similarly archaic and polite term for the listener's daughter.
- Lệnh ái rất xinh đẹp. (Your daughter is very beautiful.)
- Công tử (n): Young master; a term for a son from a wealthy or noble family, sometimes used in a less archaic context.
- Vị công tử đó rất hào hoa. (That young master is very gallant.)
Synonyms
- Your son: The direct modern equivalent.
- Con trai của ngài: A formal way to say "your son."
Notes on Usage
- Register: Extremely formal and archaic. Using it in contemporary conversation would sound unusual or poetic.
- Context: Its use is primarily historical or literary. The modern, polite way to refer to someone else's son is "con trai của anh/chị/ông/bà."