tình nương
Definition
- Noun:
- Mistress; lover (female): A woman who is in a romantic and often secretive relationship with a man, typically outside of marriage. It carries a connotation of an illicit or extramarital affair.
- Beloved; sweetheart: An archaic or literary term for a beloved woman, a female sweetheart. This usage is less common in modern Vietnamese.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Ông ta có một cô tình nương trẻ. (He has a young mistress.)
- Trong thơ cổ, "tình nương" thường chỉ người con gái mình yêu. (In ancient poetry, "tình nương" often referred to the girl one loved.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is considered somewhat old-fashioned or literary in contemporary use. In modern contexts, it is most frequently used to mean "mistress," implying a secret or illicit relationship, and can carry a negative or scandalous nuance.
Variants and Related Words
Nhân tình (n): A more common and neutral modern term for a lover or paramour, which can refer to either gender.
- Chuyện nhân tình của anh ta bị báo chí phanh phui. (His affair with his lover was exposed by the press.)
Người yêu (n): The standard, neutral term for a boyfriend or girlfriend, or one's beloved.
- Cô ấy là người yêu của tôi. (She is my girlfriend.)
Synonyms
- Mistress: A woman having an illicit sexual relationship with a man.
- Paramour: A lover, especially an illicit one.
- Sweetheart: A person loved by another (archaic/poetic sense).
Related Idioms
- Kẻ cắp tình nương: Literally "the thief of a sweetheart"; refers to a rival in love who steals one's beloved.
- Hắn chính là kẻ cắp tình nương của tôi. (He is the one who stole my sweetheart.)