quan lại

quan lại

Quan lại mặc áo gấm đứng trong sân triều đình.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Mandarins / Mandarinate: The collective term for the administrative officials and bureaucrats in historical Vietnamese feudal dynasties, forming the imperial civil service.
    • The officialdom / The bureaucracy: Refers to the entire class or system of appointed government officials in pre-modern Vietnam, responsible for governance, tax collection, and upholding imperial law.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • Tầng lớp quan lại đóng vai trò quan trọng trong xã hội phong kiến. (The mandarin class played an important role in feudal society.)
    • Triều đình tuyển chọn quan lại thông qua các kỳ thi. (The court selected mandarins through examinations.)
    • Sự tham nhũng trong giới quan lại làm suy yếu chính quyền. (Corruption among the officialdom weakened the government.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term "quan lại" often carries a historical or sociological context, describing the structured hierarchy of the imperial administration. It can be used neutrally to describe the system or critically to imply corruption and elitism.
    • Nghiên cứu về hệ thống quan lại thời Lê. (A study on the mandarinate system during the Lê dynasty.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Quan chức (n): A modern term for an official or functionary, often in a contemporary government context.

    • Các quan chức nhà nước. (State officials.)

  • Quan trường (n): The official arena or the world of mandarins; implies the complex and often competitive environment of bureaucratic politics.

    • Những thăng trầm của quan trường. (The ups and downs of the official arena.)
Synonyms
  • Mandarins: The most direct English equivalent for historical East Asian bureaucrats.
  • Bureaucrats: Government officials, especially in an administrative system.
  • Officials: People holding public office or positions of authority.
Related Idioms

  • Quan lại tham ô: Corrupt mandarins/officials.

    • Thời kỳ đó nổi tiếng với những quan lại tham ô. (That period was infamous for corrupt mandarins.)

  • Con đường quan lại: The mandarin path; referring to a career in the imperial bureaucracy.

    • Nhiều trí thức theo đuổi con đường quan lại. (Many intellectuals pursued the mandarin path.)

Proverbs and Idioms