Definition

Noun: - Function, role, duty: The specific responsibilities, tasks, or position associated with a particular job or status in society or an organization. It emphasizes the inherent duties and obligations of a role. - Station, lot: One's appointed or destined place and responsibilities in life, sometimes with a connotation of fate or social hierarchy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mỗi người cần hiểu rõ chức phận của mình. (Everyone needs to understand their own function/duty.)
  • Ông ấy luôn làm tròn chức phận của một người lãnh đạo. (He always fulfills the duties of a leader.)
  • Chức phận của người làm cha mẹ là nuôi dạy con cái. (The duty of parents is to raise and educate their children.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm tròn chức phận": To fulfill one's duty completely; to discharge one's responsibilities faithfully.
  • Anh ấy đã cố gắng hết sức để làm tròn chức phận. (He tried his best to fulfill his duty.)
• "Biết chức phận mình": To know one's place; to be aware of one's role and its limits, sometimes implying subservience.
  • Trong công ty, nhân viên phải biết chức phận mình. (In the company, employees must know their place.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chức vụ (noun): Position, post, office. (Focuses more on the official title or rank rather than the inherent duties.)
  • Ông ấy giữ chức vụ giám đốc. (He holds the position of director.)
• Phận sự (noun): Duty, obligation. (Very close in meaning, often used interchangeably with , but can sound slightly more literary or formal.)
  • Phận sự của công dân là tuân theo pháp luật. (The duty of a citizen is to obey the law.)
• Bổn phận (noun): Duty, responsibility. (Often implies a moral or ethical obligation.)
  • Bổn phận của con cái là hiếu thảo với cha mẹ. (The duty of children is to be filial to their parents.)

Synonyms

• Nhiệm vụ: Task, mission.
• Trách nhiệm: Responsibility.
• Vai trò: Role.

Notes on Meaning and Usage

• Chức phận is a formal and somewhat classical word. It is commonly used in formal writing, speeches, and contexts discussing social roles, hierarchical duties, or Confucian values.
• It often carries a nuance of a duty that comes with a specific social or occupational position, which one is expected to perform faithfully.
• While chức vụ refers more to the job title itself, chức phận emphasizes the duties and behaviors expected from that title.
• In modern, everyday conversation, words like nhiệm vụ, trách nhiệm, or công việc are more frequently used. Chức phận may sound solemn or old-fashioned in casual speech.

noun

1. Function