thợ thuyền
Definition
- Noun:
- Worker, Laborer: A general, somewhat dated term for a person who performs manual or skilled work, especially in a trade, craft, or industry. It often refers to the collective body of industrial or artisanal workers.
- Artisan, Craftsman: Can specifically denote a skilled manual worker with expertise in a particular trade.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Giai cấp thợ thuyền đóng vai trò quan trọng trong sự phát triển công nghiệp. (The working class played an important role in industrial development.)
- Khu nhà máy thu hút hàng nghìn thợ thuyền từ các vùng quê. (The factory zone attracted thousands of workers from rural areas.)
- Ông ấy là một người thợ thuyền lành nghề, có thể đóng cả một chiếc thuyền gỗ. (He is a skilled craftsman who can build an entire wooden boat.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "thợ thuyền" is considered somewhat archaic in modern Vietnamese and carries a socio-historical nuance. It is often used in historical, political, or literary contexts to refer to the industrial working class or proletariat, particularly from the pre-modern and early modern periods.
- It can be used collectively to signify "the labor force" or "the working masses."
Variants and Related Words
- Công nhân (n): Worker, laborer (the modern, more common term for an industrial or factory worker).
- Công nhân nhà máy đang đình công. (The factory workers are on strike.)
- Thợ (n): A more general and contemporary term for a skilled worker, mechanic, or artisan.
- thợ điện (electrician), thợ mộc (carpenter).
- Lao động (n): Labor, workforce; (adj): laboring.
- người lao động (laborer, worker).
Synonyms
- Worker
- Laborer
- Artisan
- Craftsman
- Proletarian (in a historical/economic context)
Related Idioms
- Con nhà thợ thuyền: Literally "child of a working-class family," implying a person of humble, laboring origins.
- Anh ấy xuất thân con nhà thợ thuyền, nhưng rất chăm chỉ và thành đạt. (He comes from a working-class family but is very hardworking and successful.)