cử tử

Nhiều cử tử đã lều chõng lên kinh đô ứng thí.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Candidate (historical): In the context of Vietnam's historical imperial examination system (Hán Nôm: 舉子), a "cử tử" was a scholar who registered to take the official, multi-level civil service exams to become a mandarin.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhiều cử tử đã lều chõng lên kinh đô ứng thí. (Many candidates traveled to the capital to take the exams.)
  • Các cử tử phải trải qua kỳ thi Hương trước. (The candidates had to pass the Provincial exam first.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to refer to participants in Vietnam's traditional Confucian-based examination system, which was abolished in 1919.

Variants and Related Words

• Thí sinh (n): This is the modern, general term for a candidate or examinee in any test.

  • Thí sinh vào phòng thi. (The examinee enters the exam room.)

• Sĩ tử (n, historical/literary): A more general literary term for a scholar or student, often used interchangeably with "cử tử" in historical contexts.

  • Sĩ tử dùi mài kinh sử. (Scholars diligently study the classics.)

Synonyms

• Examination candidate (historical)
• Scholar candidate

Related Idioms

• Lều chõng: Refers directly to the life and tools (a makeshift tent and a stool) of historical examination candidates, symbolizing the arduous journey to take the exams.
  • Cuộc đời lều chõng của các cử tử. (The arduous examination life of the candidates.)