Definition

1. Noun (Historical / Confucian Ethics):
   • "Following the husband": A key Confucian principle dictating that a wife must obey, follow, and be subservient to her husband. It is one of the "Three Obediences" (tam tòng) for women.
   • Wifely submission: The concept or doctrine that a woman's primary duty is to submit to her husband's authority after marriage.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đạo "tòng phu" là một trong những quy tắc khắt khe của xã hội phong kiến. (The doctrine of "wifely submission" was one of the strict rules of feudal society.)
  • Quan niệm "xuất giá tòng phu" nay đã lỗi thời. (The notion of "once married, one must follow the husband" is now obsolete.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in historical, academic, or critical discussions about traditional Vietnamese Confucian family ethics and gender roles. It carries a strong archaic and often negative connotation in modern discourse.

Variants and Related Words

• Tam tòng (n): The "Three Obediences" (for a woman: obey her father before marriage, obey her husband after marriage, and obey her son after her husband's death).
• Tòng phụ (n): The principle of "following the father" (for an unmarried woman).
• Tòng tử (n): The principle of "following the son" (for a widow).

Synonyms

• Wifely obedience
• Conjugal submission (historical context)
• Spousal subservience

Related Concepts

• Phu xướng phụ tùy: A related idiom meaning "the husband leads, the wife follows," describing the traditional hierarchical marital relationship.
• Trung, hiếu, tiết, hạnh: "Loyalty, filial piety, chastity, virtue" — key Confucian virtues for women, closely tied to the idea of .