Definition

1. Noun:
   • In-laws, one's wife's parents: "Nhạc gia" is a formal and somewhat literary Vietnamese term used to refer to one's parents-in-law, specifically the parents of one's wife. It denotes a respectful family relationship.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ngày mai, tôi sẽ về quê thăm nhạc gia. (Tomorrow, I will return to my hometown to visit my parents-in-law (my wife's parents).)
  • Nhạc gia tôi rất hiền và tốt bụng. (My parents-in-law (my wife's parents) are very kind and good-natured.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "nhạc gia" is considered formal and is more commonly found in written language, traditional contexts, or respectful speech. In everyday modern conversation, terms like "bố mẹ vợ" (wife's parents) or the more general "bố mẹ chồng/vợ" (parents-in-law) are more frequently used.
• It is used from the perspective of the husband. The equivalent term for a wife referring to her husband's parents is "bố mẹ chồng."

Variants and Related Words

• Bố vợ (n): Father-in-law (wife's father).
• Mẹ vợ (n): Mother-in-law (wife's mother).
• Bố mẹ vợ (n phr): Parents-in-law (wife's parents) – a common modern equivalent.
• Thông gia (n, formal): A broader term referring to the families related by marriage, not just the direct parents.

Synonyms

• Bố mẹ vợ: Wife's parents (more direct and common).
• Cha mẹ vợ: Wife's parents (similar to "bố mẹ vợ," using "cha" for father).

Related Phrases

• Làm rể: To be a son-in-law (from the husband's perspective in relation to his wife's family).
  • Anh ấy là một người rể tốt, rất được lòng nhạc gia. (He is a good son-in-law, very favored by his parents-in-law.)

Related Idioms

• Kính nhạc gia như kính cha mẹ đẻ: To respect one's parents-in-law as one's own birth parents. This idiom emphasizes the traditional virtue of filial piety extended to one's spouse's family.
  • Theo đạo lý xưa, phải biết kính nhạc gia như kính cha mẹ đẻ. (According to traditional ethics, one must know to respect one's parents-in-law as one's own birth parents.)

1. (cũ, trang trọng) in-laws, one's wife'c parents