tì thiếp
Definition
- Noun:
- Concubine: A woman who lives with a man and has a recognized, but secondary, social and sexual relationship with him, often in a historical or polygamous context. This term specifically denotes a lower-status female companion compared to a primary wife.
- Maidservant and secondary wife: A compound term where "tì" refers to a female servant or maid, and "thiếp" refers to a concubine or secondary wife. Together, it historically describes women in roles combining domestic service and subordinate marital status.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong xã hội phong kiến, các quý tộc thường có nhiều tì thiếp. (In feudal society, nobles often had many concubines.)
- Vị quan đó đối xử rất tệ với những người tì thiếp của mình. (That mandarin treated his concubines very poorly.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "tì thiếp" is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to describe a feature of past social systems. It is not used in contemporary legal or social discussions about relationships.
Variants and Related Words
- Thiếp (n): Concubine. This is the core component referring to the secondary marital partner.
- Bà ta từng là một người thiếp. (She was once a concubine.)
- Tì nữ (n): Maidservant, lady-in-waiting. This word focuses on the servitude aspect.
- Các tì nữ hầu hạ trong cung điện. (The maidservants attended to duties in the palace.)
Synonyms
- Concubine: A woman cohabiting with a man without being a legal wife.
- Secondary wife: A wife of lower status than the principal wife.
- Handmaiden: A female servant, often in a historical context.
Related Idioms
- Nàng hầu thiếp phòng: A phrase describing the collective group of female attendants and concubines in a household or palace.
- Cung điện đầy những nàng hầu thiếp phòng. (The palace was full of attendants and concubines.)