Definition

1. Noun:
   • Status, station, rank, place, position: One's inherent or assigned social standing or role in life. It implies a sense of one's proper place, often with an acceptance of its limitations.
   • Destiny, fate, lot: One's predetermined or perceived course of life; fortune. Often used in a resigned or melancholic sense to describe one's portion in life, especially when unfortunate.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Status/Position):

  • Anh ta biết thân biết phận. (He knows his place.)
  • Phận hèn, không dám mơ cao. (With a humble station, one dares not dream high.)

• Noun (Destiny/Fate):

  • Cô ấy than thở về phận mình. (She lamented her lot.)
  • Số phận (phận) của họ thật đắng cay. (Their fate is truly bitter.)

Advanced Usage

• "phận bạc" / "phận hẩm" / "phận mỏng": These are poetic and literary compounds describing a wretched, unlucky, or fragile fate.

  • Phận bạc như vôi. (A fate as thin/disloyal as lime.)
  • Phận hẩm duyên ôi. (A wretched fate, alas for love.)

• "phận làm...": Used to denote the condition or lot of being something.

  • Phận làm con, phải hiếu thảo. (In the station of a child, one must be filial.)
  • Phận tôi tớ thật khổ. (The lot of a servant is truly hard.)

Variants and Related Words

• Số phận (n): Destiny, fate. This is the full, more common term.

  • Số phận an bài. (Fate is preordained.)

• Thân phận (n): Circumstances of one's life, often emphasizing social standing or a pitiable state.

  • Thân phận người phụ nữ trong xã hội cũ. (The lot of women in the old society.)

Synonyms

• Fate: The development of events beyond a person's control.
• Destiny: A predetermined course of events.
• Lot: One's share in life; fortune.
• Station: One's social or official rank or position.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Biết thân biết phận: To know one's place; to be aware of one's social standing and limitations.

  • Nó biết thân biết phận nên không dám tranh giành. (He knows his place so he doesn't dare to compete.)

• Xót xa phận mình: To grieve over or pity one's own lot.

  • Ngồi một mình, bà xót xa phận mình. (Sitting alone, she grieved over her own lot.)

• Phận đàn bà: The traditional lot/condition of a woman (often implying hardship or subservience).

  • Phận đàn bà trong thơ ca dân gian. (The lot of women in folk poetry.)

1. Status, station, rank, place, position
   • Biết thân biết phận
     To know one's place
   • Phận hèn
     A humble station
   • số phận (nói tắt)
     Destiny, fate, lot
   • Xót xa phận mình
     To grieve over one's own lot