Definition

1. Verb:

   • To castrate; to geld; to emasculate: The primary meaning of "hoạn" is to surgically remove the testicles of a male animal or, historically, a human male, rendering them incapable of reproduction. This is an action performed on animals for control, domestication, or to improve meat quality, and was historically performed on humans to create eunuchs for imperial service.

2. Noun (Archaic):

   • Mandarinat; officialdom: In classical literature, "hoạn" can refer to the career or sphere of being a mandarin (a high-ranking bureaucratic official in imperial Vietnam or China). This usage is now rare and found in fixed phrases.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Người nông dân hoạn con bò đực. (The farmer castrated the bull.)
  • Lợn đực thường bị hoạn để dễ nuôi và thịt ngon hơn. (Male pigs are often castrated to make them easier to raise and for better meat quality.)

• Noun (Archaic):

  • Ông ấy đã trải qua nhiều thăng trầm trong bể hoạn. (He experienced many ups and downs in the sea of officialdom.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "hoạn" is specific and technical, primarily used in agricultural, veterinary, or historical contexts. It is not used in modern everyday conversation for common actions.

Variants and Related Words

• Hoạn quan (n): Eunuch. A castrated man who served in an imperial court.

  • Các hoạn quan có ảnh hưởng lớn trong triều đình phong kiến. (Eunuchs had great influence in the feudal court.)

• Thiến (v): A more common, modern synonym for "to castrate" (used for animals).

  • Thiến mèo để kiểm soát sinh sản. (Neuter a cat to control reproduction.)

Synonyms

• Castrate: The most direct synonym, meaning to remove the testicles.
• Geld: Specifically used for castrating male animals like horses.
• Neuter: A more general term for removing reproductive organs from animals.
• Emasculate: Can mean to castrate or, more broadly, to deprive of strength or vigor.

Related Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• Bể hoạn: Literally "the sea of officialdom." An idiom referring to the complex, unpredictable, and often treacherous world of bureaucratic life and government service in imperial times.
  • Con đường bể hoạn đầy chông gai. (The path through the sea of officialdom is full of thorns.)

verb

1. to castrate; to evirate; to geld