Definition

1. Noun:
   • Religious order: A community of people (monks, nuns, brothers, or sisters) living under a specific set of religious rules and vows, often within a Catholic or Christian tradition. It refers to the institution itself.
   • Convent or monastery: The physical building or complex where members of a religious order live and work.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cô ấy đã quyết định gia nhập một nhà dòng. (She decided to join a religious order.)
  • Ngôi nhà dòng cổ kính nằm yên tĩnh trên ngọn đồi. (The ancient convent/monastery sits quietly on the hill.)
  • Anh trai tôi là một tu sĩ trong nhà dòng Đa Minh. (My brother is a friar in the Dominican order.)

Advanced Usage

• "the life of a religious order": Often implied when discussing the lifestyle, rules, and communal living associated with "nhà dòng".
  • Sống trong nhà dòng đòi hỏi sự hy sinh và cầu nguyện. (Living in a religious order requires sacrifice and prayer.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dòng tu (n): This is a very close synonym, also meaning "religious order". "Nhà dòng" can sometimes emphasize the physical residence, while "dòng tu" emphasizes the institutional community.
• Tu viện (n): Monastery or convent. This word specifically denotes the building/complex.
• Nhà thờ (n): Church. A different type of religious building for worship, not where the order resides.

Synonyms

• Religious community: A group of people living together under religious vows.
• Monastic order: Specifically refers to orders centered on monastic life (e.g., Benedictines).

Related Phrases

• Vào nhà dòng: To enter a religious order (to become a nun, monk, etc.).
  • Sau nhiều năm suy nghĩ, cô ấy đã vào nhà dòng. (After years of consideration, she entered the religious order.)
• Sống đời nhà dòng: To live the life of a religious order.
  • Sống đời nhà dòng là một ơn gọi đặc biệt. (To live the religious life is a special vocation.)

Related Idioms

1. Religious order