Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To transfer remains to a small coffin: The ritual act of exhuming and cleaning the bones of a deceased person, then placing them into a small, often terra-cotta, coffin (called a "tiểu") for final, permanent burial. This is a significant step in Vietnamese multi-stage burial traditions.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Sau ba năm cải táng, gia đình sẽ sang tiểu cho người đã khuất. (After three years of exhumation, the family will transfer the remains to a small coffin for the deceased.)
  • Nghi lễ sang tiểu thường được thực hiện rất trang trọng. (The ritual of transferring remains to a small coffin is usually performed very solemnly.)

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Context: This term is deeply embedded in Vietnamese ancestral worship and burial customs. The primary burial involves a larger coffin. After a period (often three or more years), the remains are exhumed, cleaned, and "sang tiểu" into a smaller ossuary. This final resting place is then placed in a family tomb or ancestral altar.
  • Việc sang tiểu hoàn tất chu kỳ mai táng, đưa vong linh về nơi an nghỉ cuối cùng. (The act of transferring remains to a small coffin completes the burial cycle, bringing the spirit to its final resting place.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cải táng (v): To exhume and rebury. "Sang tiểu" is often the specific action performed during or after "cải táng".
• Bốc mộ (v): A synonym for "cải táng", meaning to exhume a grave.
• Tiểu (n): The small coffin or ossuary (often made of ceramic, stone, or precious wood) used in the "sang tiểu" ritual.
• Lễ sang tiểu (n): The ceremony of transferring remains to the small coffin.

Synonyms

• Chuyển tiểu: To transfer to the small coffin (a more literal synonym).
• Nhập tiểu: To enter the remains into the small coffin.

Notes on Meaning

• This is a fixed cultural and ritual term. It is not used in a general or metaphorical sense outside of the specific funeral practice.
• The action signifies respect, care for the ancestors, and the belief in providing a permanent, dignified resting place for the bones.

1. Place somebody's remains in a small terra-cotta coffin (for definitive burial)