nghè
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun (Historical):
- Doctor of Letters (feudal title): A scholar who achieved the highest academic degree (Tiến sĩ) in the imperial examinations of feudal Vietnam, equivalent to a doctorate.
- Ministry Clerk (historical): A secretary or subordinate official within the ministries of the Huế court during the Nguyễn dynasty.
Noun:
- Small temple: A modest shrine or temple, typically dedicated to a local deity or spirit.
Usage Examples
Noun (Historical):
- Ông ấy đỗ đạt và được phong làm ông nghè. (He passed the exams and was conferred the title of Doctor of Letters.)
- Người đó làm nghè ở bộ Lại. (That person worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel.)
Noun:
- Dân làng lập một cái nghè để thờ thần thành hoàng. (The villagers built a small temple to worship the local guardian spirit.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is largely historical or literary in its first two meanings. In modern Vietnamese, it is most commonly encountered in historical texts, proverbs, or in the third meaning (small temple), especially in rural contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Ông Nghè: A respectful title for a holder of the degree.
- Đỗ nghè: To pass the imperial exam for the degree.
Synonyms
- Tiến sĩ: Doctor (specifically the feudal academic title).
- Miếu: Temple, shrine (a more common/general word for temple; implies a smaller, often local one).
- Thừa phái: Clerk, subordinate official (historical).
Related Idioms and Proverbs
- Chưa đỗ ông nghè đã đe hàng tổng: Literally, "Not yet a Doctor, but already threatens the canton chief." This proverb criticizes someone who acts arrogantly or counts their chickens before they hatch, similar to "Don't sell the bear's skin before you've caught it."
- (từ cũ) Doctor of letters
- Ông tú, ông cử, ông nghèA junior bachelor, a bachelor, a doctoe (laureates of various feudal competition-examinations)
- Hue court ministry clerk
- Temple (dedicated to a diety), josshouse (mỹ thuật)