Definition

1. Noun (archaic/literary):
   • A beautiful girl; a maiden of exquisite beauty: Refers to a young woman admired for her physical loveliness, often with a poetic or elevated tone.
   • A celestial maiden; a fairy: Denotes a mythical, ethereal female being from heaven or a fairy realm, emphasizing purity and divine beauty.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong thơ ca cổ, chàng trai thường mơ về một ngọc nữ. (In ancient poetry, the young man often dreamed of a celestial maiden.)
  • Nàng đẹp như một ngọc nữ giáng trần. (She is as beautiful as a fairy descended to earth.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "ngọc nữ" is primarily found in classical Vietnamese literature, poetry, and formal or stylized descriptions. Its use in modern spoken Vietnamese is rare and would be considered highly poetic or deliberately archaic.

Variants and Related Words

• Giai nhân (n): A beauty; a belle. A more common literary term for a beautiful woman.
• Tiên nữ (n): A female fairy or celestial being. Closely related in mythical context.
• Mỹ nhân (n): A beautiful person; a beauty.

Synonyms

• Fairy: A mythical being of magic and beauty.
• Celestial maiden: A heavenly or divine young woman.
• Beauty: A beautiful woman, especially in a literary context.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ngọc nữ giáng trần: (idiom) A fairy/beauty descending to the mortal world. Used to hyperbolically describe a woman of extraordinary beauty.
  • Sắc đẹp của cô ấy khiến người ta nghĩ đến ngọc nữ giáng trần. (Her beauty makes people think of a fairy descended to earth.)

1. (từ cũ) Beautiful girl; fairy