cống nạp
Definition
Verb:
- To pay tribute: The primary meaning of "cống nạp" is the historical act where a weaker or subordinate state, region, or group gives money, goods, or other valuable items to a more powerful ruler or state as a sign of submission, allegiance, or to secure peace.
Noun:
- Tribute: The payment or goods themselves that are offered in such an act.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nhiều nước nhỏ phải cống nạp cho triều đình Trung Hoa. (Many small countries had to pay tribute to the Chinese court.)
- Noun:
- Cống nạp hàng năm bao gồm ngọc trai, vàng, và lụa. (The annual tribute included pearls, gold, and silk.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in historical, political, or literary contexts to describe feudal or imperial relationships. It implies a formal, often enforced, hierarchical relationship.
Variants and Related Words
- Cống vật (n): Tribute goods; the specific items offered as tribute.
- Cống vật quý giá được chở đến kinh đô. (The valuable tribute goods were transported to the capital.)
- Triều cống (v/n): A near-synonym meaning to pay tribute or the tribute itself, often used in similar historical contexts.
- Vương quốc đó duy trì quan hệ thông qua việc triều cống. (That kingdom maintained the relationship through paying tribute.)
Synonyms
- Pay tribute: To offer payment as an acknowledgment of submission.
- Offer tribute: To present gifts or payment, often ceremonially.
Related Concepts
- Thuế má (n): Tax. Unlike "cống nạp," this refers to a mandatory financial charge levied by a government on its own citizens, not a payment from a subordinate entity to a superior one.
- Chiến lợi phẩm (n): Spoils of war. These are goods taken by force after a victory, not given as a formal tribute.