tuyệt tự
Definition
Verb: - To be without an heir; to have no descendants to continue the family line. This term describes the condition of a person, couple, or lineage that has no (male) offspring to carry on the family name and ancestral rites, often considered a grave misfortune in traditional contexts. - To become extinct (of a family line). It refers to the ending of a specific bloodline or family branch due to the lack of a succeeding generation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Dòng họ đó đã tuyệt tự vì không có con trai. (That lineage died out because there was no son.)
- Ông cụ lo sợ gia đình sẽ tuyệt tự. (The old man fears his family will be left without an heir.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is deeply rooted in traditional Confucian family values where the continuation of the patrilineal line is of paramount importance. It carries a strong connotation of finality and cultural sorrow.
- In modern usage, the concept is sometimes critically discussed in relation to gender equality and changing family structures.
Variants and Related Words
- Tuyệt diệt (v): to become extinct, to be annihilated (used for species, cultures, or families).
- Nhiều loài động vật đang đứng trước nguy cơ tuyệt diệt. (Many animal species are facing the risk of extinction.)
- Tuyệt hậu (adj/phr): synonym for "tuyệt tự," meaning "without posterity."
- Mối lo tuyệt hậu. (The worry of having no heirs.)
Synonyms
- Heirless: having no heir.
- Without issue (legal/formal term): having no children or descendants.
- Lineage extinction: the dying out of a family line.
Related Idioms
- Tuyệt tự tuyệt tôn: an emphatic idiom stressing the complete end of a line, with no heirs to make ancestral offerings.
- Căn bệnh hiểm nghèo khiến dòng họ này đứng trước nguy cơ tuyệt tự tuyệt tôn. (The severe illness puts this lineage at risk of complete extinction, with no one to continue the family.)