Perhaps the handwritten manuscript Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1772) by PJ Pigneaux was one of the first dictionaries to record these two compound words along with the Chinese characters: nhạc phụ (岳父), nhạc mẫu (岳母). Regarding meaning, in the Đại Nam Quấc âm tự vị (1895), Huình-Tịnh Paulus Của explains: nhạc phụ is the father-in-law, nhạc mẫu is the mother-in-law. Now, let's try to find the etymology of these two terms.
The term "father-in-law" (岳父) originates from the story of Zhang Shuo (667-731) during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One day, after the emperor offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai (the first of the Five Sacred Mountains), Prime Minister Zhang Shuo (some sources translate it as Zhang Yue) promoted his son-in-law, Zheng Yi, to the fifth rank and bestowed upon him red robes. However, according to the regulations of the Tang Dynasty at that time, after the sacrificial ceremony, all officials below the rank of the Three Dukes were demoted one rank. Emperor Xuanzong was astonished and questioned Zheng Yi, but Zheng Yi dared not answer. Huang Panchuo, standing nearby, then told the emperor: "That is the power of Mount Tai" ( Thử Thái Sơn lực dã ). Huang Panchuo's statement contained two meanings: one was thanks to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai; the other was thanks to the power of the father-in-law. From then on, in China, sons-in-law began to call their fathers-in-law " Mountain Tai" . Because Mount Tai is also known as Dongyue, Zhang Shuo is also called his father-in-law or grandfather-in-law .
In volume 16 of the Tu Feng Lu, an 18-volume dictionary compiled by Gu Zhang Si during the Qing Dynasty, there is a sentence: " The wife's father is also called a father-in-law or is referred to as Mount Tai, " meaning "the father-in-law is called a father-in-law or Mount Tai."
On Mount Tai, there is a mountain called Zhang Ren Feng (because its shape resembles an old man), so the father-in-law is also called Yue Zhang or Zhang Ren Feng . The term Yue Zhang (岳丈) comes from the title of the poem "Da Shou Yue Zhang" by Doctor Huang Gongfu, who composed this seven-word poem during the Ming Dynasty to commemorate his father-in-law's birthday.
The term "mother -in-law" (岳母) originates from the phrase "mother-in-law 's erratic behavior " in Zeng Cao's *Gao Zhai Man Lu* during the Song Dynasty. Additionally, there is another term, *Tai Shui* (泰水), a nickname for a mother-in-law, originating from the * Ji Le Bian * compiled by Zhuang Chuo at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. In this textual study, Zhuang Chuo explains: " Tai Shui means mother-in-law ."
From ancient times to the present, the compound words "father-in-law " and "mother-in-law" have often been used in formal situations, especially in written texts, such as: "Respectfully visiting my father-in-law and mother-in-law" (p. 125) or "mother-in-law" (p. 608) in Jean Louis Taberd's Dictionarium latino-anamiticum (1838).
In less formal situations, the terms "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law" are often used instead of " father-in-law " and "mother-in-law ". This is noted in Jean Bonet's Dictionnaire annamite-francçais (langue officielle et langue vulgaire) , published in 1899: "father -in-law", "beau-père (père de l'épouse)" - father-in-law; "mother- in-law" , "belle-mère (mère de l'épouse)" - mother-in-law (p. 50).
Finally, according to the Dai Nam Quoc Am Tu Vi (cited above), ancient Vietnamese people used the word "nhac " (岳) with the general meaning of "father-in-law and mother-in -law," or called the father-in-law "nhac phu," "nhac truong," "nhac gia," or "ong nhac "; and called the mother-in-law " nhac mau" or "ba nhac ."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lat-leo-chu-nghia-nhac-phu-va-nhac-mau-185250214212910849.htm
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