võ quan
Definition
- Noun:
- Military officer (historical): A person who held a commissioned rank and command in the traditional Vietnamese military or administrative system, often during feudal dynasties. This term specifically refers to officers in the martial branch, as opposed to civilian mandarins.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Dưới triều Nguyễn, các võ quan có nhiệm vụ bảo vệ kinh thành. (Under the Nguyen dynasty, military officers had the duty of protecting the capital.)
- Ông tổ của dòng họ tôi từng là một võ quan cao cấp. (My family's ancestor was once a high-ranking military officer.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "võ quan" is primarily used in historical or literary contexts to describe the martial bureaucracy of pre-modern Vietnam. It is often contrasted with "văn quan" (civil mandarins).
Variants and Related Words
Võ tướng (n): A military general or commander, often implying a higher rank or field command.
- Võ tướng Trần Hưng Đạo là một anh hùng dân tộc. (General Tran Hung Dao is a national hero.)
Võ phục (n): Military uniform or martial attire.
- Võ nghiệp (n): Military career.
Synonyms
- Military officer: A person in a position of command in the armed forces.
- Army mandarin: A term emphasizing the administrative rank within the historical mandarinate system.
Related Terms and Concepts
- Văn quan: A civil mandarin or official, forming the civilian branch of the historical bureaucracy alongside the martial võ quan.
- Quan võ: An alternative, less common word order with the same meaning as võ quan.