thân ngoại
Definition
- Noun:
- Maternal relatives: Refers to one's family relations on the mother's side, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.
- External kin: A term in traditional kinship classification that distinguishes the mother's lineage from the father's lineage ("thân nội").
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Tết năm nay, tôi sẽ về quê thăm thân ngoại. (This Lunar New Year, I will return to my hometown to visit my maternal relatives.)
- Mối quan hệ với thân ngoại của anh ấy rất thân thiết. (His relationship with his maternal relatives is very close.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in formal, legal, or traditional contexts to specify kinship ties, such as in genealogical records or when discussing familial obligations and inheritance.
Variants and Related Words
Thân nội (n): Paternal relatives; kin on the father's side.
- Thân nội của tôi đều sống ở miền Bắc. (My paternal relatives all live in the North.)
Bên ngoại (n): A more colloquial synonym for "thân ngoại," meaning the mother's side of the family.
- Bên ngoại tôi có truyền thống làm nghề giáo. (My mother's side of the family has a tradition of being teachers.)
Synonyms
- Maternal family: The family of one's mother.
- Mother's kin: Relatives connected through one's mother.
Related Concepts
- Gia đình bên ngoại: A phrase meaning "the maternal family."
- Họ ngoại: Refers specifically to the mother's clan or surname line.