Definition

1. Verb:
   • To support and care for (one's parents): "phụng dưỡng" specifically means to provide material and spiritual support, and to diligently care for one's parents in their old age. It implies a sense of filial piety, reverence, and dutiful maintenance.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con cái có bổn phận phụng dưỡng cha mẹ già. (Children have the duty to support and care for their elderly parents.)
  • Anh ấy luôn tâm niệm phải phụng dưỡng mẹ chu đáo. (He always keeps in mind that he must care for his mother attentively.)

Advanced Usage

• "phụng dưỡng tận tâm": to support and care for wholeheartedly, with utmost devotion.

  • Dù hoàn cảnh khó khăn, cô ấy vẫn phụng dưỡng tận tâm. (Despite difficult circumstances, she still supports and cares for them wholeheartedly.)

• "phụng dưỡng song thân": to support and care for both parents.

  • Ước mơ của anh là có thể phụng dưỡng song thân ở quê nhà. (His dream is to be able to support and care for both parents in his hometown.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phụng sự (verb): to serve, to devote oneself to (a cause, one's country). Note: This word is broader and not specific to parental care.

  • Ông ấy nguyện phụng sự đất nước. (He vowed to serve his country.)

• Hiếu dưỡng (verb): to be filial and provide for (one's parents). This is a close synonym with a strong emphasis on filial piety.

  • Câu chuyện về sự hiếu dưỡng của người con cảm động lòng người. (The story of the child's filial care is deeply moving.)

Synonyms

• Chăm sóc, nuôi dưỡng: to take care of, to nurture. These are more general terms for caregiving.
• Đỡ đần, phụng thờ: to assist, to worship/serve. "Phụng thờ" often has a religious or very reverential connotation.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Bổn phận phụng dưỡng: the duty of supporting and caring for (parents).

  • Bổn phận phụng dưỡng là giá trị truyền thống của người Việt. (The duty of supporting one's parents is a traditional Vietnamese value.)

• Phụng dưỡng tuổi già: to support and care for (someone) in their old age.

  • Cô ấy dành cả thanh xuân để phụng dưỡng tuổi già cho bố mẹ. (She spent her entire youth supporting her parents in their old age.)

Related Idioms

• "Phụng dưỡng cha mẹ, báo đáp sinh thành": (To support and care for one's parents is to repay the debt of birth and upbringing.) This idiom encapsulates the core meaning and cultural importance of the word.
  • Phụng dưỡng cha mẹ, báo đáp sinh thành là đạo lý làm người. (Supporting one's parents to repay the debt of birth and upbringing is a fundamental human principle.)

verb

1. to support maintain (one's parents)