Definition

1. Noun:
   • Court servant (historical): A person who served inside the royal palace or court in historical contexts, typically performing various duties for the monarch or nobility. This term is now considered archaic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các nội thị phục vụ trong cung điện rất cẩn thận. (The court servants served in the palace very carefully.)
  • Chức vụ nội thị thời xưa có nhiều cấp bậc khác nhau. (The position of court servant in ancient times had many different ranks.)

Advanced Usage

• The term 'nội thị' is primarily used in historical texts, literature, or discussions about feudal Vietnamese dynasties (e.g., the Nguyễn, Lê, Trần dynasties). It is not used in modern contexts to describe contemporary occupations.

Variants and Related Words

• Nội quan (noun, historical): A court official or eunuch serving within the royal palace. This term is closely related and also archaic.
• Thái giám (noun, historical): A specific type of court servant, a eunuch, who served in the imperial harem and palace.

Synonyms

• Cung nô (noun, historical): Palace servant or slave.
• Quan trong cung (noun phrase, historical): Official within the palace/court.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of 'nội thị' is specifically a servant (nội) the royal palace, as opposed to officials who served in the external government administration. It emphasizes the location and nature of the service.
• The term is obsolete in modern Vietnamese. To describe similar roles today, one would use terms like nhân viên phục vụ (service staff) or quản gia (butler/house manager), but these lack the specific royal/historical connotation.

1. (cũ) Court sevant