từ cung

Từ cung ngồi trên ngai vàng trong cung điện.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Empress Dowager: The mother of a reigning emperor or king. This is the primary and historical meaning, referring specifically to the widowed mother of the monarch in a feudal or imperial system.
   • Queen Mother: A term that can be used in similar contexts, particularly when relating to a king's mother.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Từ cung là một nhân vật có quyền lực lớn trong triều đình phong kiến. (The Empress Dowager was a figure of great power in the feudal court.)
  • Sau khi vua băng hà, từ cung nhiếp chính cho vị vua mới còn nhỏ tuổi. (After the king passed away, the Empress Dowager acted as regent for the young new king.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "từ cung" is almost exclusively used in historical, literary, or formal contexts related to Vietnam's feudal past or in discussions of other imperial systems (e.g., Chinese, Korean). It is not used in modern, everyday conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Hoàng thái hậu (n): Empress Dowager. This is a more formal and direct synonym.
• Thái hậu (n): Empress Dowager or Queen Mother. A slightly more general term.
• Vương thái hậu (n): Queen Dowager (specifically for a king's mother).

Synonyms

• Empress Dowager: The widow of an emperor and mother of the reigning emperor.
• Queen Mother: The mother of a reigning monarch.
• Queen Dowager: A widowed queen who is the mother of the reigning monarch.

Related Idioms

• Quyền lực từ cung: Refers to the significant, often behind-the-scenes, political power wielded by an Empress Dowager.
  • Lịch sử ghi nhận nhiều giai đoạn quyền lực từ cung chi phối triều chính. (History records many periods where the power of the Empress Dowager dominated the court.)