thủ thư
Noun: 1. Librarian: A person who works in a library, responsible for organizing, managing, and lending books and other materials, and often assisting patrons. 2. Archivist: A person responsible for preserving, organizing, and managing historical records and documents. (Note: This meaning is less common in modern Vietnamese; "librarian" is the primary meaning.)
- Noun:
- Cô ấy là một thủ thư rất nhiệt tình ở thư viện trường. (She is a very enthusiastic librarian at the school library.)
- Thủ thư đã giúp tôi tìm cuốn sách cần thiết. (The librarian helped me find the necessary book.)
- Công việc của một thủ thư không chỉ là cho mượn sách. (A librarian's job is not just about lending books.)
- "thủ thư trưởng": Head librarian or chief librarian.
- Thủ thư trưởng chịu trách nhiệm quản lý toàn bộ hoạt động của thư viện. (The head librarian is responsible for managing all library operations.)
- Thư viện (n): Library.
- Thư viện quốc gia (National library)
- Người quản thư (n): An older or more formal term for librarian.
- Nhân viên thư viện (n): Library staff (a more general term).
- Bibliothécaire: (French) Librarian.
- Người giữ sách: (Literally 'book keeper') A descriptive term for someone who looks after books.
The word "thủ thư" is a Sino-Vietnamese compound: - "thủ" (守) means to guard, keep, or manage. - "thư" (書) means book or document. Therefore, its core meaning is "one who guards/manages books." While the historical dictionary entry mentions a first meaning of "a letter written in one's own hand," this usage is now considered archaic and is virtually never used in contemporary Vietnamese. The modern and almost exclusive meaning is librarian. The connection to archivist stems from the shared duty of managing documents.