trưởng quan
Definition
- Noun (Historical/Official):
- Chief official / Head mandarin: The primary historical meaning refers to the head or leader of a government office, bureau, or administrative unit in historical Vietnamese bureaucracy, often a mandarin of high rank.
- Principal officer: Denotes the person holding the highest authority within a specific official body or delegation.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trưởng quan của sứ đoàn đã tiếp kiến nhà vua. (The chief official of the delegation had an audience with the king.)
- Mọi quyết định cuối cùng đều do vị trưởng quan này phê chuẩn. (All final decisions were approved by this head mandarin.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is largely historical and formal. In modern contexts, equivalent terms like "trưởng đoàn" (head of delegation), "trưởng phòng" (department head), or "giám đốc" (director) are more commonly used for similar leadership roles.
Variants and Related Words
- Quan trưởng (n): A synonymous, though less common, term for a high-ranking mandarin or chief official.
- Trưởng (n): A prefix or standalone noun meaning "head," "chief," or "leader" (e.g., trưởng làng - village chief, trưởng nhóm - group leader).
Synonyms
- Chief official
- Head mandarin
- Principal officer
- Director (in a historical administrative context)
Notes on Usage
- The reference from the Vietnamese-French dictionary specifies "(arithm.) primicier," indicating a very specific, possibly archaic, usage in mathematics or formal systems, meaning "first" or "primary" in a sequence. This technical usage is extremely rare in contemporary language.
- The core, understandable meaning for learners remains the historical title for a leading government official.