Definition

1. Verb (formal, historical):
   • To formally request retirement from an official position or duty, citing old age as the reason. This term originates from historical and bureaucratic contexts where officials would petition to be relieved of their posts due to advanced years.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau bốn mươi năm phục vụ, quan triều đình quyết định cáo lão. (After forty years of service, the court official decided to resign citing old age.)
  • Theo tập tục xưa, các đại thần thường cáo lão về quê an hưởng tuổi già. (According to old customs, high-ranking mandarins often requested to retire to their hometowns to enjoy their old age.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "cáo lão" implies a formal, often ceremonial, petition. It is not a simple resignation but one specifically grounded in the culturally respectful premise of aged infirmity, even if the age is merely a pretext.

Variants and Related Words

• Cáo quan (v): to resign from an official post. This is a broader term for resigning from a mandarin position, not necessarily citing age.
  • Ông ấy cáo quan vì bất đồng chính kiến. (He resigned from his official post due to political differences.)
• Cáo hưu (v): to retire (modern usage, from "hưu trí").
  • Bà Minh sẽ cáo hưu vào tháng tới. (Ms. Minh will retire next month.)

Synonyms

• To retire (on grounds of age): To leave one's job and cease to work, typically upon reaching a certain age.
• To resign (due to old age): To voluntarily leave a position, stating age as the cause.

Notes on Usage

• "Cáo lão" is an archaic and formal term, primarily encountered in historical texts or discussions of traditional Vietnamese bureaucracy. In modern contexts, "về hưu" or "cáo hưu" are used for retirement.
• The phrase can sometimes carry a nuanced meaning of "resigning under the of advanced age," suggesting the reason may be ceremonial or diplomatic rather than purely factual.

1. To resign under pretence of advanced age