Definition

1. Noun (Historical):
   • High-ranking mandarin / senior court official: A collective term for the highest-ranking officials and nobles in the imperial court of feudal Vietnam, such as dukes ("công") and ministers ("khanh").
   • The aristocracy / the highest echelons of the court: Refers to the elite class of dignitaries who held significant power and prestige close to the monarch.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong triều đình phong kiến, các chức vụ công khanh có quyền lực rất lớn. (In the feudal court, the positions of high-ranking mandarins held great power.)
  • Cuộc tranh giành quyền lực giữa các công khanh diễn ra liên miên. (The power struggle among the senior court officials was incessant.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is archaic and is primarily used in historical, literary, or academic contexts to describe the political structure of pre-modern Vietnam.
• It often implies a group bound by privilege, high status, and sometimes, political intrigue.

Variants and Related Words

• Quan lại (n): bureaucrats, officials (a more general term for the administrative class).
• Đại thần (n): high-ranking minister, a senior official of the court.

Synonyms

• Dignitary: a person considered important because of high rank or office.
• Grandee: a high-ranking noble or official.
• Aristocrat: a member of the aristocracy.

Related Idioms

• Công hầu khanh tướng: Dukes, marquises, ministers, and generals. This idiom expands on "công khanh" to encompass the entire highest stratum of the feudal nobility and military command.
  • Giấc mộng công hầu khanh tướng (The dream of achieving high nobility and rank).