Definition

1. Noun:

   • Customs, customs office: In historical context, "đoan" refers to the customs administration or a customs house, particularly under the French colonial government in Vietnam before the August Revolution (1945). It denotes the government agency responsible for collecting duties on imported goods.
   • Customs duty, tax: It can also refer to the tax or levy collected by this administration on goods.

2. Verb:

   • To pledge, to assure, to guarantee: (Archaic/Literary) To make a solemn promise or give one's word; to affirm something as true.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Thuế đoan là nguồn thu quan trọng. (Customs duty was an important source of revenue.)
  • Hàng hóa bị giữ lại tại nhà đoan. (The goods were detained at the customs house.)

• Verb:

  • Tôi đoan với anh rằng tôi sẽ đến đúng giờ. (I assure you that I will arrive on time.)
  • Ông ấy đoan chắc rằng thông tin là chính xác. (He pledged that the information was accurate.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cam đoan": to pledge, to vow, to guarantee. This is a more common compound form where "đoan" retains its verbal meaning.

  • Tôi cam đoan sẽ hoàn thành công việc. (I vow to complete the work.)

• "Lính đoan": customs officer. A historical term for officials working in the customs service.

  • Lính đoan kiểm tra hàng hóa nhập khẩu. (The customs officers inspected the imported goods.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhà đoan (noun): customs house. The building where customs business is conducted.
• Thuế đoan (noun): customs duty, tariff.
• Cam đoan (verb): to pledge, to guarantee. (Note: This is listed as a related compound, not as the primary definition of the isolated word "đoan").

Synonyms

• Noun (Customs): Hải quan (modern term for customs).
• Verb (To pledge): Hứa chắc, bảo đảm, thề.

Notes on Usage

• The noun meaning related to "customs" is now largely historical and archaic. The modern Vietnamese term for customs is "hải quan".
• The verb meaning "to pledge" is also considered literary or formal and is not commonly used in everyday modern speech outside of fixed phrases like "cam đoan".

noun

1. custom
   • nhà đoan
     custom-house