Definitions

1. Noun:
   • A border gate, a frontier checkpoint: A specific gate or official passage point at a national border, used for controlling the entry and exit of people and goods.
   • (Historical) An official's gate, a government office: In historical contexts, it can refer to the gate or entrance to a mandarin's residence or a government administrative office, symbolizing authority and bureaucracy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hàng hóa phải được kiểm tra kỹ lưỡng tại cửa quan. (Goods must be thoroughly inspected at the border gate.)
  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, dân thường rất ngại phải đến cửa quan. (In feudal society, common people were very reluctant to go to the government office / the mandarin's gate.)

Advanced Usage

• "cửa quan cửa ải": A fixed idiom emphasizing the difficulty and strictness of passing through official checkpoints or bureaucratic hurdles.
  • Công việc đó phải trải qua bao nhiêu là cửa quan cửa ải. (That task has to go through so many bureaucratic gates and barriers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cửa khẩu (n): A more modern term for a border gate or border checkpoint.
• Biên giới (n): Border, frontier (a broader term for the border area).
• Công đường (n): (Historical) Government office, court.

Synonyms

• Trạm kiểm soát biên giới: Border control station.
• Cổng biên giới: Border gateway.

Related Phrases

• Qua cửa quan: To pass through the border gate/checkpoint.
  • Đoàn xe đã qua cửa quan an toàn. (The convoy passed through the border gate safely.)

Related Idioms

• Cửa quan như cửa tử: Literally "The official's gate is like the gate of death," meaning dealing with the authorities or bureaucracy is fraught with danger and difficulty.
  • Ngày xưa, dân gian có câu "cửa quan như cửa tử". (In the old days, there was a folk saying: "The official's gate is like the gate of death.")