tôi đòi
Definition
- Noun:
- Servant; domestic servant; menial: A person, historically, who is employed to perform domestic duties and is in a position of subservience. The term implies a low social status and a role involving obedience and service within a household.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong xã hội phong kiến, tôi đòi phải phục tùng chủ nhân hoàn toàn. (In feudal society, a servant had to obey their master completely.)
- Cô ấy làm công việc như một người tôi đòi trong dinh thự ấy. (She worked as a domestic servant in that mansion.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "tôi đòi" is now considered archaic and carries a strong connotation of the feudal past. It is rarely used in modern, neutral contexts to describe contemporary domestic workers. Its use today often implies historical settings, extreme subservience, or is used metaphorically.
Variants and Related Words
- Đầy tớ (n): A more common, though still somewhat dated, term for servant. It can be slightly less harsh than "tôi đòi".
- Ông ấy từng là đầy tớ trong một gia đình quý tộc. (He was once a servant in a noble family.)
- Người giúp việc (n): The modern, neutral term for a domestic helper or housekeeper.
- Người giúp việc đến dọn dẹp hai lần một tuần. (The domestic helper comes to clean twice a week.)
Synonyms
- Servant: A person who performs duties for others, especially in a household.
- Menial: (Often used as an adjective) A person doing boring or low-status work.
- Domestic: A worker employed in household tasks.
Related Idioms
- Làm tôi đòi: To act as a servant; to be in a servile position. This phrase is used to describe someone who is submissive or obsequious.
- Hắn ta sẵn sàng làm tôi đòi để được thăng chức. (He is willing to be servile to get a promotion.)