cơ quan

Vietnamese

Etymology

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

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kəː˧˧ kwaːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kəː˧˧ kwaːŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kəː˧˧ waːŋ˧˧]

• Audio (Hồ Chí Minh City)

  (file)

Noun

cơ 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:

     丕朱処
     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