đứa ở
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Servant, house-servant: A person, typically a young person or child, employed to perform domestic duties in a household. This term is now considered archaic and derogatory, reflecting outdated social hierarchies.
- Menial, menial staff: Refers collectively to domestic workers or servants, often implying a low social status.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong xã hội phong kiến, nhiều gia đình giàu có có đứa ở. (In feudal society, many wealthy families had house-servants.)
- Ông chủ đối xử rất tệ với đứa ở trong nhà. (The master treated the servant in the house very poorly.)
- Cụm từ "đứa ăn đứa ở" chỉ toàn bộ người giúp việc trong một gia đình. (The phrase "đứa ăn đứa ở" refers to all the domestic staff in a household.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in historical or literary contexts to describe domestic service in pre-modern Vietnam. Its use in contemporary language is rare and can be offensive, as it objectifies the worker.
- The compound phrase "đứa ăn đứa ở" is a fixed expression used historically to refer collectively to the domestic servants who both ate and lived in their employer's household.
Variants and Related Words
- Đầy tớ (n): Servant. A more common, though still somewhat dated, term for a servant.
- Người giúp việc (n): Domestic helper, housekeeper. The modern, neutral, and respectful term.
- Gia nhân (n): (Archaic) Retainer, domestic servant in a large household.
- Ở đợ (v): To work as a live-in domestic servant.
Synonyms
- Tôi tớ: Servant, subordinate.
- Người hầu: Attendant, servant.
Important Note on Usage
- "Đứa ở" is an archaic and pejorative term. It reduces a person to their menial role and is associated with a master-servant dynamic from a bygone era. It is strongly recommended to use the modern term "người giúp việc" (domestic helper) instead when referring to this occupation in contemporary contexts.
- (cũ) Servant, house-servant
- Đứa ăn đứa ởThe menials, the menial staff