Definition

1. Noun:
   • Petty official / Head clerk: A low-ranking administrative officer or clerk, specifically in historical contexts such as feudal Vietnamese dynasties or during the French colonial period. The term refers to the person in charge of routine office or bureau affairs.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ta từng là một chủ sự nhỏ trong bộ Lại thời Nguyễn. (He was once a petty official in the Ministry of Personnel during the Nguyễn dynasty.)
  • Chức vụ chủ sự thời thuộc Pháp tương đương với một trưởng phòng hành chính ngày nay. (The position of head clerk during the French colonial period was equivalent to an administrative department head today.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily historical and administrative. It is used in texts discussing pre-modern or colonial Vietnamese bureaucracy.

Variants and Related Words

• Quan lại (n): mandarin, official (a broader term for feudal officials).
• Thư lại (n): scribe, clerk (often a lower rank than ).

Synonyms

• Clerk: a person employed to keep records or accounts.
• Bureaucrat: an official in a government department.
• Administrative officer: a person responsible for administrative tasks.

Notes on Usage

• Historical Term: "Chủ sự" is an archaic term not used in contemporary Vietnamese for modern job titles. It appears in historical documents, literature, or academic writing about the past.
• Contextual Meaning: Its specific meaning (petty official vs. head clerk) depends on the historical period being discussed (feudal era vs. French colonial era).

1. Petty official (ở các bộ thời phong kiến)
   • Head clerk (thời thuộc Pháp)