Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hardworking and thrifty; diligent and frugal: Describes a person, typically a woman or mother, who works tirelessly and manages resources with great care and economy, often in the context of maintaining a household under difficult circumstances. It conveys a sense of devoted labor and prudent saving.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Người mẹ ấy đã tảo tần nuôi các con khôn lớn. (That mother worked diligently and thriftily to raise her children to adulthood.)
  • Cuộc sống tảo tần của bà ngoại tôi là một bài học về sự chịu thương chịu khó. (My grandmother's hardworking and frugal life is a lesson in endurance and diligence.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "tảo tần" is often used in a reverent, respectful tone to praise the virtues of mothers or wives in traditional family roles, highlighting their sacrifice and unwavering effort.

Variants and Related Words

• Tần tảo (adj): This is a direct variant with the same meaning and usage as "tảo tần." The words are interchangeable.
  • Bà đã tần tảo cả đời vì gia đình. (She has been hardworking and thrifty her whole life for the family.)

Synonyms

• Diligent and frugal: Consistently hardworking and careful in spending.
• Industrious and economical: Energetically productive and avoiding waste.
• Hardworking and thrifty: Working with great effort and using money and resources wisely.

Related Idioms

• "Tảo tần sớm hôm" or "Tần tảo sớm hôm": This phrase intensifies the meaning, emphasizing working hard from early morning until late night, day in and day out.
  • Người mẹ đơn thân ấy tảo tần sớm hôm để lo cho con. (That single mother works tirelessly from dawn to dusk to care for her child.)