thông dâm

Definition

1. Verb (formal, legal, or literary):
   • To commit adultery: The act of engaging in sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse. This term carries a strong moral and legal connotation, often implying a violation of marital vows.
   • To fornicate (archaic): In older or very formal contexts, it can refer to illicit sexual intercourse more broadly.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Luật pháp xưa có thể trừng phạt những kẻ thông dâm. (Ancient laws could punish those who committed adultery.)
  • Họ bị bắt quả tang thông dâm. (They were caught in the act of adultery.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "thông dâm" is almost exclusively used in formal, legal, or historical contexts. In modern everyday conversation, phrases like "ngoại tình" (to have an affair) are more common for adultery.
• It often appears in legal texts, classical literature, or discussions about traditional morality.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoại tình (v): to commit adultery; to have an affair. (This is the more common modern term.)
• Gian dâm (v, formal): synonymous with "thông dâm," meaning to commit adultery or fornication.
• Thông gian (v, formal): a variant with identical meaning to "thông dâm."

Synonyms

• Commit adultery: The direct and most accurate synonym.
• Fornicate (archaic): Engages in consensual sexual intercourse between unmarried persons (this meaning is less specific in modern English).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Tội thông dâm: the crime of adultery.
  • Tội thông dâm từng là một trọng tội. (The crime of adultery was once a felony.)