cơ quan

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Vietnamese

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Etymology

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Sino-Vietnamese word from 機關.

The modern senses are from Japanese 機関 (kikan), while the obsolete sense of "mechanics, mechanism" is directly from Middle Chinese 機關 (kɨi kˠuan).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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quan

  1. (obsolete) mechanism; mechanics
    • 13th century, Trần Nhân Tông, Cư Trần lạc đạo phú 居塵樂道賦, 第九會 Đệ cửu hội:
      丕朱咍
      機關祖教
      雖恪饒塘
      庄隔某剛
      Vậy cho hay:
      Cơ quan tổ giáo,
      Tuy khác nhiều đàng,
      Chẳng cách mấy gang.
      Thus you should know that:
      The teachings of the Patriarchs,
      While they differ in many regards,
      They are not fundamentally different.
  2. a government institution
  3. a white-collar workplace
    Bữa nào bố cho con lên cơ quan chơi nhe.
    I'll bring you to work some time.
  4. (biology, anatomy) an organ