sử quan

Definition

Noun:
- Historiographer / Court Historian: An official in feudal times whose duty was to record historical events, chronicle the affairs of the court and the nation, and maintain official historical records.
- Historical Viewpoint / Historical Perspective: A particular way of interpreting or understanding history; a lens through which historical events are analyzed and judged.

Usage Examples

Noun (Historiographer):
- Công việc của một sử quan thời xưa là ghi chép sự thật. (The work of a historiographer in ancient times was to record the truth.)
- Vị sử quan đó được khen ngợi vì sự trung thực. (That court historian was praised for his integrity.)
Noun (Historical Viewpoint):
- Phân tích đó thể hiện một sử quan Marxist. (That analysis presents a Marxist historical perspective.)
- Chúng ta cần xem xét vấn đề từ nhiều sử quan khác nhau. (We need to examine the issue from multiple historical viewpoints.)

Advanced Usage

The term is primarily used in academic or historical discussions about pre-modern Vietnamese/Asian institutions or about modern historical methodology.
When referring to the official, it is an archaic term. When referring to a viewpoint, it is a formal, scholarly term.

Variants and Related Words

Sử gia (n): Historian. A more general, modern term for a scholar who studies and writes about history.
- Ông ấy là một sử gia nổi tiếng. (He is a famous historian.)
Quan điểm lịch sử (n phr): Historical viewpoint. A more common modern phrase equivalent to the second meaning of "sử quan".
- Quan điểm lịch sử của ông ấy rất độc đáo. (His historical viewpoint is very unique.)

Synonyms

Related Concepts

Chép sử (v): To record/write history.
- Nhiệm vụ của họ là chép sử cho triều đình. (Their duty was to write history for the royal court.)
Biên niên sử (n): Chronicle, annals.
- Những bộ biên niên sử này do các sử quan biên soạn. (These chronicles were compiled by court historians.)