vô thừa tự
Definition
- Adjective:
- Without an heir; heirless: Describes a person, typically male, who has no descendants (sons or children) to inherit their property, continue their family line, or perform ancestral rites. It carries a strong cultural connotation of lineage extinction.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cụ ấy sống một mình và chết trong cảnh vô thừa tự. (He lived alone and died without an heir.)
- Nỗi lo vô thừa tự ám ảnh nhiều người đàn ông thời xưa. (The fear of being heirless haunted many men in the old days.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in legal, historical, or literary contexts to describe a tragic or pitiable situation where a family line ends.
Variants and Related Words
- Tuyệt tự (adj): A synonym meaning "to have one's lineage cut off," often used interchangeably with but can sound even more final.
- Dòng họ đó đã tuyệt tự. (That lineage has been cut off.)
Synonyms
- Heirless: Having no legal heir.
- Without issue: (Legal/formal) Having no children or descendants.
Related Idioms
- Chết vô thừa tự: To die without an heir.
- Câu chuyện kể về một vị vua chết vô thừa tự. (The story tells of a king who died without an heir.)