Definition

1. Noun:
   • Swordsman, swordswoman; knight-errant: A person, often a wandering hero in historical or wuxia (martial arts chivalry) contexts, who is highly skilled with a sword and follows a personal code of honor, often traveling to right wrongs or seek challenges.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong truyện kiếm hiệp, các kiếm khách thường đi khắp giang hồ để trừ gian diệt ác. (In wuxia stories, swordsmen often travel the martial world to vanquish evil and uphold justice.)
  • Anh ta mơ ước trở thành một kiếm khách lừng danh. (He dreams of becoming a famous knight-errant.)
  • Vị kiếm khách ấy đã dùng một chiêu thức tuyệt kỹ để hạ gục đối thủ. (That swordsman used a secret technique to defeat his opponent.)

Advanced Usage

• The term kiếm khách is deeply embedded in the genre of văn học kiếm hiệp (wuxia literature) and phim kiếm hiệp (wuxia films). It evokes imagery of ancient China or a fictional martial world (giang hồ).
• It implies not just skill with a sword (kiếm), but also a certain lifestyle, moral stance, and independence. A kiếm khách is typically a lone figure or a wandering hero.

Variants and Related Words

• Kiếm hiệp (n.): This is the direct synonym, meaning "sword chivalry" or "martial chivalry." It refers to the genre or the code/concept itself. A kiếm khách is a practitioner of kiếm hiệp.
  • Truyện kiếm hiệp của Kim Dung rất nổi tiếng. (The wuxia novels by Jin Yong are very famous.)
• Hiệp khách (n.): A more general term for a chivalrous hero or knight-errant, which may or may not specialize in the sword.
• Võ sĩ (n.): A martial artist or warrior. This is a broader, more generic term than kiếm khách.
• Kiếm sĩ (n.): Swordsman. This term can be more neutral, focusing purely on the skill with a sword, without the strong connotation of the wandering chivalric lifestyle inherent in kiếm khách.

Synonyms

• Swordsman / Swordswoman: (A person skilled in using a sword.)
• Knight-errant: (A medieval knight wandering in search of adventure; this English term captures the chivalric and wandering aspects well.)
• Martial hero: (A hero skilled in martial arts.)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Giang hồ hiệp khách / Giang hồ kiếm khách: This phrase emphasizes the "martial world" (giang hồ) setting where these swordsmen operate.
  • Cuộc sống của một giang hồ kiếm khách đầy rẫy nguy hiểm và phiêu lưu. (The life of a wandering swordsman of the martial world is full of danger and adventure.)

1. như kiếm hiệp