thơ lại

Ông thơ lại ngồi ghi chép sổ sách trong công đường.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Clerk / Scribe: A historical term for an official responsible for managing documents, correspondence, and clerical work in the administrative offices (such as district or provincial offices) during the feudal era or the French colonial period in Vietnam.
   • Purser: In a maritime context, an officer on a ship responsible for accounts and provisions.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông nội tôi từng làm thơ lại ở phủ huyện. (My grandfather once worked as a clerk in the district office.)
  • Công việc của một thơ lại trên tàu rất quan trọng. (The work of a purser on a ship is very important.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "thơ lại" is largely historical and archaic. In modern contexts, words like "nhân viên văn phòng" (office staff) or "thư ký" (secretary) are used instead for clerical roles.

Variants and Related Words

• Thư lại: An alternate, equivalent spelling and term for "thơ lại," with the same meaning of a historical clerk or scribe.

Synonyms

• Scribe: A person who copies out documents.
• Clerk: An office worker, especially in a historical administrative context.
• Purser: A ship's officer in charge of finances and supplies.
• Secretary: An official in charge of records and correspondence.