tòng sự
Definition
- Verb (archaic):
- To serve in an official capacity: To work or be employed, typically in a government office or administrative body, as per the old administrative system.
- To be in service: To hold a position and perform duties within an official institution.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông cụ của tôi từng tòng sự tại toà án tỉnh. (My grandfather once served at the provincial court.)
- Dưới thời phong kiến, nhiều nho sinh mong được tòng sự trong các cơ quan triều đình. (During the feudal period, many Confucian scholars hoped to serve in royal institutions.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is now considered archaic and is primarily found in historical texts, official documents from the past, or when referring to historical employment contexts. It is not used in modern, everyday language to describe current employment.
Variants and Related Words
- Tùng sự: An alternate, equally archaic spelling with the same meaning.
- Cụ tổ năm xưa tùng sự ở phủ đường. (Our ancestor served at the prefectural office long ago.)
Synonyms
- To serve: To perform duties for an organization or government.
- To work (in an official capacity): To be employed, especially in a formal or governmental role.
- To be employed: To have a job.
Notes on Usage
- The word 'tòng sự' is obsolete. In contemporary Vietnamese, one would use words like làm việc (to work), công tác (to work, often with a sense of mission or assignment), or phục vụ (to serve) instead.
- It specifically connotes service within the administrative or mandarin system, not modern employment in private companies.