Definition

1. Noun (Historical/Sociological):
   • The Four Social Classes: In traditional East Asian and historical Vietnamese Confucian society, "tứ dân" refers to the four principal occupational and social groups: scholars (sĩ), farmers (nông), artisans/craftsmen (công), and merchants (thương). This hierarchy placed scholars at the top and merchants at the bottom.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, tứ dân là khung cơ bản của trật tự xã hội. (In feudal society, the four social classes were the basic framework of social order.)
  • Quan niệm "sĩ, nông, công, thương" phản ánh hệ thống tứ dân cổ truyền. (The concept of "scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant" reflects the traditional four-class system.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in historical, academic, or literary contexts to discuss pre-modern social structures. It is considered an archaic classification.

Variants and Related Words

• Sĩ, nông, công, thương: This is the explicit listing of the four classes that constitute "tứ dân."
• Giai cấp (n): class (in a social structure). A modern, more general term for social class.

Synonyms

• The four occupations: A direct descriptive synonym in English.
• Social stratification (historical): A broader sociological term that encompasses this concept.

Related Concepts

• While not a single idiom, the phrase "Nhất sĩ, nhì nông, hết gạo chạy rông, nhất nông, nhì sĩ" is a related folk saying that plays on the traditional ranking, sometimes reversing it to emphasize the practical importance of farmers.