Definition

1. Noun:
   • Steersman, helmsman: A person who steers or controls the direction of a boat, especially a traditional cargo boat (like a rice-carrying boat). This term is often used in regional dialects.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tài công già kinh nghiệm đã đưa con thuyền vượt qua cơn bão. (The experienced steersman guided the boat through the storm.)
  • Anh ấy làm tài công trên chiếc ghe chở lúa của gia đình. (He works as the helmsman on his family's rice-carrying boat.)

Advanced Usage

• The term tài công is considered a regional or dialectal word, more commonly used in specific local contexts rather than in standard, formal Vietnamese. It evokes imagery of traditional riverine or coastal transport.

Variants and Related Words

• Người cầm lái / Người lái tàu: A more standard and general term for a steersperson, pilot, or driver (of a vehicle or vessel).
• Thuyền trưởng: Captain (of a ship). This is a broader, more formal title with greater responsibility than a .

Synonyms

• Helmsman: The person who steers a ship.
• Steersman: A person who steers a boat or ship.
• Boatman: A man who works on or is in charge of a small boat. (Note: This is a broader term.)

Related Phrases

• Cầm lái: To steer, to drive.
  • Ông ấy đã cầm lái chiếc ghe suốt ba mươi năm. (He has been steering the boat for thirty years.)

1. danh từ (địa phương). steersman, helmsman