xe dây
Definition
- Verb (archaic, literary):
- To arrange a marriage match; to act as a matchmaker. This term specifically refers to the traditional act of connecting two families through marriage, often involving formal proposals and negotiations.
- To get married (from the woman's perspective). In classical usage, it can mean for a woman to take a husband, with the implication that the marriage was arranged.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Người mai mối đã đến để xe dây cho con trai họ. (The matchmaker came to arrange a marriage match for their son.)
- Thuở ấy, việc xe dây kết tơ thường do cha mẹ quyết định. (In those days, the arranging of marriage bonds was often decided by parents.)
- Cô ấy sắp được xe dây với một chàng trai trong làng. (She is about to be married to a young man from the village.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is highly literary and archaic. It is primarily encountered in classical poetry, proverbs, historical texts, or used deliberately for a traditional, formal effect. It is not used in modern everyday conversation.
- It is part of a larger, fixed metaphorical concept where marriage is depicted as a "thread" or "string" being joined or woven.
Variants and Related Words
- Xe tơ (v, archaic): A direct synonym, also meaning to arrange a marriage or to get married. It uses "tơ" (silk thread) instead of "dây" (string), both metaphorizing the marital bond.
- Se duyên (v, literary): To join in marriage; to form a marital bond. A more common literary synonym in proverbs and formal well-wishing.
- Kết tóc xe tơ (idiom, literary): Literally "to bind hair and join silk threads," a set phrase meaning to formally marry and become husband and wife.
Synonyms
- Arrange a marriage: To formally organize a union between two people.
- Matchmake: To act as a matchmaker.
- Marry (archaic): To take a husband (for a woman, in this specific context).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Xe dây kết tơ: A classical four-word idiom meaning to form a marital bond; to marry.
- Câu chuyện cổ tích thường kết thúc bằng cảnh xe dây kết tơ. (Fairy tales often end with a scene of marriage.)
- Duyên phận đã xe: Literally "the fateful bond has been joined," meaning a marriage match has been destined or arranged.
- Họ tin rằng duyên phận đã xe từ kiếp trước. (They believe their marital bond was joined from a previous life.)