quan tư
Definition
- Noun:
- A mandarin, an official (historical): "Quan tư" is an archaic Vietnamese term referring to a government official or mandarin in the historical feudal administrative system.
- The bureaucracy / officialdom (collective, historical): It can also refer to the class or body of officials as a collective entity in pre-modern times.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Ông ấy xuất thân từ một gia đình quan tư. (He came from a family of mandarins.)
- Chế độ phong kiến có một tầng lớp quan tư phức tạp. (The feudal regime had a complex class of officials.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "quan tư" is primarily used in historical or literary contexts to describe the officialdom of dynastic Vietnam, such as during the Lê or Nguyễn dynasties. It is not used in contemporary contexts to refer to modern civil servants.
Variants and Related Words
- Quan lại (n): mandarins, officials. This is a more common and general synonym for the class of feudal officials.
- Tầng lớp quan lại đôi khi rất tham nhũng. (The mandarin class was sometimes very corrupt.)
Synonyms
- Mandarin: a historical term for a high-ranking official.
- Official: a person holding a public office or position of authority.
- Bureaucrat: an official in a government department (though this has a modern connotation).
Notes on Usage
- "Quan tư" is an obsolete term. In modern Vietnamese, the words "quan chức" or "công chức" are used for government officials. When encountering "quan tư," it typically indicates a historical setting.