Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Feudal: Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling the social, economic, and political system of medieval Europe, or similar systems elsewhere, based on the holding of land in exchange for service or labour. It often implies a hierarchical structure with a monarch or emperor at the top, followed by nobles (lords), and then peasants (serfs) who work the land.
   • Feudalistic: Having the qualities associated with a feudal system, such as being outdated, authoritarian, hierarchical, or oppressive.

2. Noun (less common in English usage, but derived from Vietnamese usage):

   • The feudal system/regime (short for "chế độ phong kiến"): The feudal system itself.
   • The feudal class/lords (collective term): The ruling class within a feudal system.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Tư tưởng phong kiến đã lỗi thời. (Feudal ideology is outdated.)
  • Chế độ phong kiến tồn tại hàng nghìn năm ở Việt Nam. (The feudal system existed for thousands of years in Vietnam.)
  • Ông ấy có quan niệm rất phong kiến về hôn nhân. (He has a very feudalistic view of marriage.)

• Noun:

  • Cuộc cách mạng lật đổ phong kiến. (The revolution overthrew the feudal regime.)
  • Phong kiến bóc lột nông dân. (The feudal lords exploited the peasants.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is frequently used in a critical or pejorative sense in modern Vietnamese to describe attitudes, customs, or practices perceived as backward, oppressive, or unfairly hierarchical, especially regarding family structure, gender roles, and social relations.
  • Anh ấy còn phong kiến nặng, không cho vợ đi làm. (He is still very feudalistic, he doesn't allow his wife to work.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chế độ phong kiến (n): The feudal system; feudalism.
  • Lịch sử nghiên cứu sự sụp đổ của chế độ phong kiến. (History studies the collapse of the feudal system.)
• Tư tưởng phong kiến (n): Feudal ideology/mentality.
  • Cần xóa bỏ tư tưởng phong kiến. (It is necessary to eradicate feudal mentality.)
• Giai cấp phong kiến (n): The feudal class.

Synonyms

• Feudal
• Feudalistic
• Manorial (specifically relating to the lord's estate)
• Medieval (in a historical context, but not always interchangeable)
• Archaic (when emphasizing outdatedness)
• Hierarchical (when emphasizing the rigid social structure)

Related Idioms and Common Phrases

• Phong kiến gia trưởng: Patriarchal feudalism. This phrase strongly emphasizes the authoritarian, male-dominated aspect of feudal thinking within a family or society.
  • Tư tưởng phong kiến gia trưởng vẫn còn tồn tại. (Patriarchal feudal mentality still exists.)

adj

1. feudal