Definition

1. Noun:
   • Handicrafts guild: A historical association or organized group of artisans or craftspeople practicing the same trade or craft in a feudal society. Its primary functions were to regulate production standards, set prices, provide mutual aid, and control training within the trade.
   • Merchants' guild: An organized association of merchants trading in the same type of goods in a pre-modern, feudal social context, serving similar regulatory and protective functions.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các thợ gốm trong làng đã lập ra một phường hội rất mạnh. (The village's potters established a very strong handicrafts guild.)
  • Phường hội buôn bán tơ lụa kiểm soát con đường thương mại chính. (The silk merchants' guild controlled the main trade route.)
  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, phường hội đóng vai trò quan trọng trong đời sống kinh tế. (In feudal society, the guild played an important role in economic life.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "phường hội" is primarily historical and academic, used to describe socio-economic organizations in pre-modern Vietnam, analogous to guilds in medieval Europe.
• It implies a formal structure with rules, traditions, and a collective identity, often centered around a specific village or urban quarter.

Variants and Related Words

• Phường (n): Often refers to a smaller craft association, a ward, or an administrative unit. It can be a component of the larger concept of "phường hội."
• Hội (n): A general term for an association, society, or club. In "phường hội," it emphasizes the organized, collective nature of the group.

Synonyms

• Guild: The most direct equivalent, referring to a medieval association of artisans or merchants.
• Corporation (archaic): In its historical sense, meaning a legally recognized group with specific rights and regulations.
• Trade association: A modern equivalent, though lacking the feudal and all-encompassing social role of a "phường hội."

Related Concepts

• Tổ chức nghề nghiệp (Professional organization): A broader modern term.
• Làng nghề (Craft village): A village traditionally specializing in a specific craft, which often had its own "phường hội."

1. Handicrafts guild