vợ chồng
Definition
Noun:
- Husband and wife; married couple: Refers to two people who are united in marriage, considered as a single social and familial unit.
- Spouses: A term encompassing both the wife and the husband.
Adjective (attributive):
- Conjugal; marital: Describes something related to the relationship between a husband and wife.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Vợ chồng tôi sẽ đi du lịch vào tuần tới. (My wife and I / We [as a couple] will travel next week.)
- Họ là một cặp vợ chồng hạnh phúc. (They are a happy married couple.)
- Adjective:
- Họ có cuộc sống vợ chồng rất êm ấm. (They have a very harmonious marital life.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "vợ chồng" is often used generically to refer to a cohabiting couple in a serious, long-term relationship, even if not legally married, reflecting social recognition of their partnership.
- It functions as a collective noun. When used as the subject of a sentence, the verb can be singular (viewing the couple as a unit) or plural (emphasizing the two individuals), though plural is more common in Vietnamese.
- Vợ chồng anh ấy đang bàn về kế hoạch mới. (He and his wife are discussing [plural verb] the new plan.)
Variants and Related Words
- Đôi vợ chồng (n): Emphasizes the pair as a unit. (The married pair/couple.)
- Quan hệ vợ chồng (n): Marital relations.
- Nghĩa vợ chồng (n): Conjugal duties/obligations.
Synonyms
- Vợ chồng: Spouses, married couple.
- Đôi uyên ương: A loving couple (literary, poetic).
- Gia đình nhỏ: Nuclear family (implies the couple and possibly children).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Sống như vợ chồng: To live together as husband and wife (common-law marriage).
- Họ đã sống như vợ chồng được mười năm. (They have lived as husband and wife for ten years.)
- Chuyện vợ chồng: Marital matters; private matters between spouses.
- Đó là chuyện vợ chồng, đừng nên can thiệp. (That's a marital matter, you shouldn't interfere.)
- Đầu gối tay ấp (idiom): An idiom describing intimate conjugal life (lit: knee as pillow, arm as embrace).