quả phụ

Bà quả phụ ngồi khâu vá bên cửa sổ.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Widow: A woman whose husband has died and who has not remarried. This is the primary and most common meaning of "quả phụ" in modern Vietnamese.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau khi chồng mất, bà trở thành một quả phụ. (After her husband passed away, she became a widow.)
  • Cộng đồng đã hỗ trợ người quả phụ và các con của bà. (The community supported the widow and her children.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "quả phụ" is formal and respectful. In everyday conversation, the more common and neutral term is "người đàn bà góa" or simply "góa phụ."
• Historically, the term could carry connotations of chastity and loyalty, implying a widow who remains unmarried to honor her late husband, though this nuance is less emphasized in contemporary usage.

Variants and Related Words

• Góa phụ (n): Widow. This is the most frequently used synonym in modern Vietnamese.

  • Góa phụ đó sống rất mạnh mẽ. (That widow lives very strongly.)

• Quả phu (n): Widower. The rarely used, corresponding term for a man whose wife has died.

  • "Quả phu" là một từ cổ chỉ người đàn ông góa vợ. ("Quả phu" is an archaic term for a widower.)

Synonyms

• Widow: A woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried.

Related Idioms

• While there is no direct idiom with "quả phụ," the state of widowhood is sometimes referenced in expressions about loss and perseverance, such as "tần tảo nuôi con" (to toil diligently to raise children alone), which is often associated with widows.