thư quán
Definition
- Noun:
- Bookshop / Bookstore: A commercial establishment where books are sold. This is the primary modern meaning, equivalent to "nhà sách."
- Reading Room / Library (archaic): Historically, a place where one could go to read books, newspapers, or journals. This usage is now considered old-fashioned.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Cuối tuần này chúng ta hãy ghé thư quán mới mở ở đường Lê Lợi. (This weekend, let's visit the new bookshop that opened on Le Loi street.)
- Ông nội tôi thường kể về những buổi chiều đọc báo ở thư quán làng ngày xưa. (My grandfather often tells stories about afternoons reading newspapers at the village reading room in the old days.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "thư quán" is now somewhat literary or formal. In contemporary, everyday Vietnamese, "nhà sách" is the more common and neutral word for a bookstore.
Variants and Related Words
Nhà sách (n): Bookstore. The standard modern term.
- Nhà sách này có rất nhiều sách thiếu nhi. (This bookstore has many children's books.)
Tiệm sách (n): Bookshop. Similar to "nhà sách" but can imply a smaller, often privately-owned shop.
- Tôi tìm thấy cuốn sách cũ trong một tiệm sách nhỏ. (I found an old book in a small bookshop.)
Synonyms
- Bookstore: A shop where books are sold.
- Bookshop: Synonym for bookstore.
- Reading room (archaic): A room set aside for reading.
Related Idioms
- Mọt sách: A bookworm (literally "book termite").
- Anh ấy là một mọt sách, lúc nào cũng thấy ở thư quán. (He is a bookworm, always seen at the bookshop.)