Definition

1. Verb (historical):
   • To enter officialdom / to begin a mandarin career: The term refers to the act of formally entering government service, specifically becoming a mandarin (a bureaucrat or scholar-official) in historical Vietnamese feudal society.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sau khi đỗ đạt, ông ấy xuất chính, phụng sự triều đình. (After passing the imperial examinations, he entered officialdom and served the court.)
  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, xuất chính là mục tiêu của nhiều nho sinh. (In feudal society, beginning a mandarin career was the goal for many Confucian scholars.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to describe the commencement of a career in the traditional state bureaucracy, which was typically achieved through success in the imperial examinations.

Variants and Related Words

• Làm quan (v): to become/to be an official. This is a more general and common term for serving as a mandarin.
  • Ông cụ đã làm quan hơn ba mươi năm. (The old man served as an official for over thirty years.)

Synonyms

• Enter government service: to begin work as a state official.
• Take up an official post: to assume a position in the bureaucracy.

Notes on Usage

• "Xuất chính" is an archaic term. In modern Vietnamese, the concept is more commonly expressed by phrases like "ra làm quan" or "bắt đầu sự nghiệp quan trường."
• It carries a formal and historical connotation, often associated with the Confucian ideal of scholarly achievement leading to public service.