thứ nữ
Definition
- Noun:
- Second daughter / younger daughter: A term used to refer to a daughter who is not the firstborn. It specifically denotes a female child born after the eldest daughter in a family.
- A daughter who is not the eldest: This term highlights her birth order, indicating she is one of the younger daughters.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chị cả là bác sĩ, còn thứ nữ là kiến trúc sư. (The eldest sister is a doctor, and the second daughter is an architect.)
- Gia đình có ba người con: một con trai cả, một thứ nữ, và một con út. (The family has three children: an eldest son, a second daughter, and a youngest child.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "thứ nữ" is somewhat formal and traditional. In modern, everyday conversation, birth order is more commonly expressed with phrases like (the second daughter) or simply by stating the numerical order.
- It can be used in historical or literary contexts to describe familial relationships with precision.
Variants and Related Words
- Con gái thứ hai (n): The second daughter. A more common and modern phrasing.
- Con gái thứ hai của họ rất tài năng. (Their second daughter is very talented.)
- Con gái út (n): The youngest daughter.
- Con gái út thường được cưng chiều. (The youngest daughter is often pampered.)
- Trưởng nữ (n): The eldest daughter. This is the direct counterpart to "thứ nữ".
- Trưởng nữ có nhiều trách nhiệm trong gia đình. (The eldest daughter has many responsibilities in the family.)
Synonyms
- Second daughter: The daughter born after the first.
- Younger daughter: A daughter who is not the eldest (can be ambiguous if there are more than two).
Notes on Usage
- "Thứ nữ" is a compound noun. The word "thứ" means "ordinal" or "in sequence," and "nữ" means "female." It is important not to confuse it with the unrelated word "thứ" meaning "day of the week" or "nữ" as a standalone word for "woman."
- This term is not commonly used in casual speech today but may be found in formal writing, genealogy, or when emphasizing traditional family structure.