công khanh
Definition
- 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).