Definitions

1. Verb (archaic):
   • To pass the imperial examination, to graduate: Refers specifically to the historical act of a scholar successfully passing the royal examinations in feudal Vietnam, earning a degree and official rank.
   • To get married, to marry (of a scholar): An extended, less common meaning referring to a scholar getting married, often used in classical literature.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau bao năm đèn sách, ông ấy đã đăng khoa. (After many years of study, he passed the imperial examination.)
  • Trong văn học cổ, hình ảnh người trí thức đăng khoa rồi vinh quy bái tổ rất phổ biến. (In classical literature, the image of an intellectual passing the exams and returning home in glory is very common.)
  • Câu chuyện kể về chàng thư sinh sau khi đăng khoa mới chính thức cưới vợ. (The story tells of a scholar who only formally got married after passing the examination.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "đăng khoa" is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to describe the feudal examination system. It is considered an archaic term in modern Vietnamese.
• It can be part of fixed classical phrases like "vinh quy bái tổ" (to return home in glory to worship ancestors), which was the tradition after .

Variants and Related Words

• Đại đăng khoa (v, archaic): To pass the higher-level imperial examination (e.g., for the doctoral degree, ).
• Tiểu đăng khoa (v, archaic): To pass the lower-level imperial examination or, in some contexts, a humorous/classical term for getting married.
• Khoa bảng (n): The system of imperial examinations; scholarly ranks.
• Đỗ đạt (v): To pass exams, to graduate (a more general and modern term than ).

Synonyms

• Thi đỗ (v): To pass an exam (general).
• Đỗ (v): To pass (an exam).
• Lấy vợ / Kết hôn (v): To get married (for the marital meaning).

Related Idioms

• "Công thành danh toại": To achieve both success and fame (often associated with the outcome of ).
• "Một người làm quan, cả họ được nhờ": When one person becomes a mandarin (often via ), the whole family benefits. This reflects the social importance of the event.

1. (cũ) Graduate
   • Đại đăng khoa
     Graduate
   • Tiểu đăng khoa
     Get married, marry (of a scholar)