Definition

1. Noun:
   • First laureate in the national competition-examination: In the traditional Vietnamese examination system, "khôi giáp" refers to the candidate who achieved the highest rank (first laureate) in the national-level examination (Thi Hội). This term is now considered archaic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy từng đỗ khôi giáp dưới triều Nguyễn. (He once achieved the rank of first laureate under the Nguyễn dynasty.)
  • Danh hiệu khôi giáp là niềm mơ ước của các sĩ tử xưa. (The title of first laureate was the dream of scholars in the past.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "khôi giáp" is specifically used in a historical and literary context to refer to the highest academic honor in the imperial examination system. It is not used in modern educational contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Trạng nguyên: (Noun) "Principal Graduate" or "First Doctorate", the top laureate in the highest palace examination (Thi Đình), a rank often conflated with or succeeding "khôi giáp" in common understanding.
• Bảng nhãn: (Noun) "Second Doctorate", the second-ranked laureate.
• Thám hoa: (Noun) "Third Doctorate", the third-ranked laureate.
• Tam khôi: (Noun) "The Three Laureates", collectively referring to the top three graduates (Trạng nguyên, Bảng nhãn, Thám hoa).

Synonyms

• Đình nguyên: (Noun) Top laureate in the palace examination.
• Thủ khoa: (Noun) Valedictorian; top graduate. This is a more general modern term for the highest-scoring candidate in any exam.

Related Idioms

• "Đỗ đạt cao": To achieve high academic success (a general phrase, not specific to "khôi giáp").
  • Cụ tổ nhà tôi ngày xưa đỗ đạt cao, từng là khôi giáp. (My ancestor in the past achieved high academic success, once being a first laureate.)

1. (cũ) First laureate in national competition-examination