toàn tập
Definition
- Noun:
- Complete works / Collected works: A complete set of writings or works by a single author, published together as a unified collection. This term is primarily used for literary, philosophical, or political works.
- Complete series / Full set: Can refer to a comprehensive collection of items (like books, documents, or media) belonging to a single series or theme.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Tôi đang sưu tầm bộ Lênin toàn tập. (I am collecting the complete works of Lenin.)
- Đây là Truyện Kiều toàn tập với đầy đủ chú thích. (This is the complete collection of The Tale of Kiều with full annotations.)
- Thư viện mới mua Hồ Chí Minh toàn tập. (The library has newly purchased the complete works of Ho Chi Minh.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used as a postpositive modifier, following the name of the author or the subject of the collection (e.g., ). It functions similarly to "Opera Omnia" in Latin-based contexts.
- It implies authority, comprehensiveness, and official publication, often for scholarly or reference purposes.
Variants and Related Words
Tuyển tập (n): Selected works; an anthology or collection of chosen works, not necessarily complete.
- Tuyển tập thơ Xuân Diệu. (Selected poems of Xuân Diệu.)
Bộ sưu tập (n): A collection (more general, can be for art, stamps, etc.).
- Bộ sưu tập tem. (A stamp collection.)
Synonyms
- Complete works
- Collected works
- Omnibus (for literary works)
- Compendium
Notes on Meaning
- "Toàn tập" is a Sino-Vietnamese compound: "toàn" (全) meaning "complete, entire" and "tập" (集) meaning "to collect, collection." Its meaning is highly specific to published collections.
- It is not used for incomplete sets, ongoing series, or for non-literary/comprehensive items in casual speech (e.g., you would not use it for a "complete set of dishes").