phu
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definitions
Noun:
- Coolie, laborer: A person doing heavy manual labor, especially in historical contexts (colonial period, feudal systems). This term often carries connotations of hardship and low social status.
- A set in a card game: In the traditional Vietnamese card game "Tổ tôm", a phu is a valid set of three matching cards.
Verb (Archaic/Literary):
- To satisfy, to be sufficient, to be worth it: To fulfill a desire or to make an effort feel worthwhile. This usage is now rare and found primarily in classical poetry.
Usage Examples
Noun (Laborer):
- Những người phu kéo xe sống rất vất vả. (The rickshaw pullers lived a very hard life.)
- Bọn chủ đồn điền bóc lột phu rất tàn nhẫn. (The plantation owners exploited the coolies very cruelly.)
Noun (Card game set):
- Anh ấy đã xếp được một phu tam vạn. (He has arranged a set of three "tam vạn" cards.)
Verb (Archaic):
- "Hãy xin báo đáp ân tình cho phu." (Truyện Kiều - Nguyễn Du) ("I first ask, to satisfy my heart, to repay the kindness I've received.")
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Sociological Context: The term "phu" is strongly associated with the colonial era and old social structures. Using it today to refer to a modern worker would be inappropriate and potentially offensive, as it implies a bygone system of exploitation. Modern terms like (worker) or (laborer) are used instead.
- Literary Appreciation: The verb form is a key element in understanding classical Vietnamese poetry, particularly in works like , where it conveys deep emotional fulfillment or the settling of a moral debt.
Variants and Related Words
- Phu phen (n): A term emphasizing the difficult, burdensome nature of labor.
- Công việc đầy phu phen. (The work is full of toil.)
- Phu xe (n): Rickshaw puller.
- Phu mỏ (n): Miner.
- Phu đồn điền (n): Plantation coolie.
Synonyms
- Cu li (n): Direct loanword for "coolie", same meaning and historical context as (laborer).
- Lão nông (n): Old peasant/farmer (different specific role, but similar historical social class).
- Kẻ làm thuê (n): Hireling, someone working for hire (broader, less historically specific).
Related Phrases/Compound Words
- Chịu phu: To endure hard labor.
- Ông ấy đã chịu phu cả đời. (He endured hard labor his whole life.)
- Làm phu: To work as a laborer/coolie.
Related Idioms
- Phu tử (夫子): This is a completely different Sino-Vietnamese word (fūzǐ) meaning "master" or "teacher" (e.g., Khổng Phu Tử - Confucius). It is homophonous but unrelated in meaning to the native Vietnamese word phu discussed here.