Definition

1. Noun:
   • Children; offspring; progeny: An archaic or literary term referring to one's descendants, specifically sons and daughters. It emphasizes the lineage and continuation of a family.

Usage Examples

• (He lacks offspring / has few children.)
• (That family's line of descendants is still very sparse.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in formal, literary, or historical contexts. In modern everyday Vietnamese, words like "con cái" are more common.
• It often appears in fixed phrases like "đường tử tức" (the path of descendants), referring to the family line or lineage.

Variants and Related Words

• Con cái (n): The standard modern term for children.
• Hậu duệ (n): Descendants, posterity (often used for later generations over a long span of time).
• Tử tôn (n): A similarly archaic term for descendants and future generations.

Synonyms

• Offspring
• Progeny
• Descendants (in the sense of immediate children)

Notes on Usage

• Register: This is an archaic word. Learners should understand it when encountered in classical literature, formal writing, or historical contexts but should use "con cái" for everyday communication.
• Connotation: It carries a formal and sometimes solemn tone, related to family legacy and continuity.