từ quan

Ông quan già xin từ quan để về quê an hưởng tuổi già.

Definition

1. Verb (Historical):
   • To resign from an official mandarin position: To voluntarily leave one's post as a government official or bureaucrat in historical, feudal Vietnam. This act often carried connotations of political protest, disillusionment, or a desire to retire from public service.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau nhiều năm phục vụ, cụ đã quyết định từ quan về quê. (After many years of service, the elder decided to resign from his mandarin post and return to his homeland.)
  • Ông ấy từ quan để phản đối chính sách của triều đình. (He resigned from his official position to protest the court's policies.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is deeply rooted in Confucian bureaucratic tradition and is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts. It implies a formal, principled departure from a position of administrative power, distinct from simply changing jobs in a modern context.

Variants and Related Words

• Từ chức (v): to resign (from a position). This is the modern, general term for resignation.
  • Bộ trưởng đã từ chức. (The minister has resigned.)

Synonyms

• Resign (specifically from a high official post).
• Step down.
• Retire from public office.

Related Idioms

• Treo ấn từ quan: Literally "to hang up the seal and resign from office." An idiom describing the act of a mandarin formally resigning by returning the official seal of authority.
  • Vị quan thanh liêm ấy cuối cùng đã treo ấn từ quan. (That incorruptible official finally hung up his seal and resigned.)