Definition

1. Noun:
   • House servant: A person employed to perform domestic duties within a household, especially in the context of the old feudal or pre-modern societal system in Vietnam. This term is now considered archaic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, gia bộc là những người phục vụ trong các gia đình quyền quý. (In feudal society, gia bộc were people who served in noble families.)
  • Ông ấy từng làm gia bộc cho một gia đình địa chủ. (He used to be a house servant for a landlord's family.)

Advanced Usage

• The term gia bộc is primarily used in historical, literary, or formal contexts to describe domestic service roles from past eras. It is not used for modern domestic workers like "người giúp việc nhà" (house helper).

Variants and Related Words

• Đầy tớ (n): Servant. A more general and also somewhat dated term for a servant.
• Người hầu (n): Attendant, servant. Another term for a domestic servant, also with historical connotations.
• Người ở (n): Live-in domestic helper. This term can be used in both historical and some modern contexts, though it is less common today.

Synonyms

• Người giúp việc: Domestic helper (modern, neutral term).
• Người phục vụ: Servant, attendant (more formal/general).

Notes on Meaning

• The term carries a specific historical and social context, implying a hierarchical master-servant relationship common in pre-revolutionary Vietnamese society. It is not a polite term to use for contemporary domestic workers.

1. (từ cũ; nghĩa cũ) House servant