Definition

1. Noun:
   • Prison guard, jailer, warder: A person whose job is to guard prisoners in a prison or jail. This is an old-fashioned term, primarily used in historical or literary contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ngục tốt canh giữ các phạm nhân rất nghiêm ngặt. (The prison guards kept a very strict watch over the inmates.)
  • Trong câu chuyện cổ, ngục tốt thường được miêu tả là những người khắc nghiệt. (In old tales, jailers are often portrayed as harsh individuals.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is considered archaic. In modern Vietnamese, words like "cai ngục" (prison warden/guard) or "lính canh ngục" (prison guard) are more commonly used.
  • Thuật ngữ "ngục tốt" ngày nay chủ yếu xuất hiện trong các tác phẩm văn học lịch sử. (The term "ngục tốt" today appears mainly in historical literary works.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cai ngục (n): Prison warden, guard. (Modern equivalent)
• Lính canh ngục (n): Prison guard. (Modern, descriptive phrase)
• Quản ngục (n): Prison administrator/warden. (Focuses on management)

Synonyms

• Lính gác ngục: Prison guard.
• Cai tù: Jailer (another old-fashioned term).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• While there is no direct idiom using "ngục tốt", the concept relates to phrases about imprisonment:
  • "Vào ngục ra tù": To be in and out of prison (to have a criminal life).
  • "Chốn lao tù": Prison, jail (a literary term for prison).

1. (từ cũ) Guard, warder