Definition

1. Noun (Danh từ):
   • Subordinate; subaltern: A person who holds a lower rank or position within an administrative or bureaucratic hierarchy, especially in the context of the old Vietnamese mandarinate system. The term implies being under the authority of a superior official.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các quan lại bộ thuộc phải tuân lệnh cấp trên. (The subordinate mandarins had to obey their superiors.)
  • Chức vụ của ông ấy chỉ là một bộ thuộc trong triều đình. (His position was merely that of a subaltern in the royal court.)

Advanced Usage

• The term bộ thuộc is classified as archaic (từ cũ, nghĩa cũ). It is primarily found in historical texts, literature, or discussions about Vietnam's feudal administrative system. It is not used in modern contemporary language to describe workplace subordinates.
• It specifically connotes a formal, institutional hierarchy, often governmental or royal, rather than a general employment relationship.

Variants and Related Words

• Thuộc cấp (n): Subordinate, underling. This is a more modern term but still formal, used in organizational or military contexts.
• Cấp dưới (n): Subordinate, junior. A common, contemporary term for someone of lower rank in any organization.
• Quan lại (n): Mandarin, bureaucrat. The class of officials to which a would belong.

Synonyms

• Thủ hạ: Subordinate, follower (often with a slight nuance of personal retinue).
• Kẻ dưới quyền: Person under one's authority.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is a subordinate official. The reference to "mandarin subalterne" (subaltern mandarin) clarifies that this term was used for officials within the mandarinate system, not for servants or general workers.
• There are no direct phrasal verbs or idioms commonly associated with this specific, archaic noun.

1. (từ cũ, nghĩa cũ) Surbordinate