Definition

1. Noun:
   • Coarse mourning fabric: A coarse, plain-woven fabric, typically made from hemp or similar rough fibers, traditionally used to make mourning clothes in Vietnam.
   • Mourning clothes (archaic): In older usage, it can refer to the mourning clothes themselves, worn for a deceased parent or spouse.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bà cụ mặc chiếc áo may bằng sô gai. (The old lady wore a shirt made of coarse mourning fabric.)
  • Theo phong tục xưa, con để tang cha mẹ bằng bộ quần áo sô gai. (According to old customs, children mourned their parents by wearing coarse mourning clothes.)

Advanced Usage

• "áo sô gai": A mourning shirt/dress made of this coarse fabric.
  • Trong tang lễ, người con trai trưởng mặc áo sô gai. (During the funeral, the eldest son wore a coarse mourning shirt.)
• "vải sô gai": The mourning fabric material.
  • Người ta dệt vải sô gai từ sợi đay. (People weave mourning fabric from jute fibers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sô (n): Can be used as a shorter, more general term for this type of coarse cloth, often in the context of mourning.
• Vải thô (n): General term for coarse, unrefined fabric (not specifically for mourning).
• Đồ tang (n): Mourning attire/clothes (general term).

Synonyms

• Vải tang: Mourning fabric.
• Vải thô dệt thưa: Coarse, loosely woven fabric.

Notes on Meaning

• The term sô gai is deeply tied to traditional Vietnamese funeral and mourning customs. Its primary meaning is the specific rough-textured cloth, symbolizing grief and austerity.
• The archaic meaning referring directly to the "mourning clothes" is now less common. In modern understanding, sô gai is the material, and áo sô gai or quần áo sô gai specifies the garment.
• It carries a cultural and emotional weight, representing respect, sorrow, and the observance of filial piety (hiếu thảo).

1. Coarse gauze and linen (with which to make mourning clothes)