thủ phận
Definition
- Verb:
- To be content with one's lot: To accept one's position, role, or status in life without complaint or ambition to change it. It implies a quiet, passive acceptance of one's circumstances.
- To know one's place: To remain within the perceived boundaries of one's social or personal station, often without striving for more.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông ấy chỉ biết thủ phận làm một người nông dân. (He only knows to be content with his lot as a farmer.)
- Trong xã hội cũ, người ta thường dạy phụ nữ phải biết thủ phận. (In the old society, women were often taught to know their place.)
- Cô ấy không tham vọng, chỉ an nhiên thủ phận. (She has no ambition, only peacefully accepting her lot.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a connotation of resignation and can be used in both neutral and slightly critical contexts, suggesting a lack of initiative or agency.
- It can be part of the traditional moral teaching of being satisfied with what one has, contrasting with modern values of ambition and self-improvement.
Variants and Related Words
- An phận thủ thường (idiomatic phrase): To be content with one's lot and follow the ordinary way; to accept one's fate and maintain routine.
- Cuộc sống của họ là an phận thủ thường. (Their life is one of being content with the ordinary.)
- An phận (verb): To be resigned to one's fate; a close synonym with a stronger emphasis on passive acceptance.
Synonyms
- To be resigned: To accept something undesirable as inevitable.
- To be content: To be in a state of peaceful happiness and satisfaction.
- To accept one's lot: To receive one's portion or situation in life without resistance.
Related Idioms
- Thân thủ phận: A reinforced form emphasizing a deep, personal acceptance of one's humble position.
- Con chỉ là đứa ở, con biết thân thủ phận. (I am just a servant, I know my humble place well.)
- An phận thủ thường: As mentioned above, a common four-word idiom expressing the concept of contentment with a simple, unchanging life.