What does "mansion" mean?

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Reader Le Hoai Nam asks: “I regularly follow the column “Casual Conversations on Words and Language,” and thanks to it I have learned many interesting things about my mother tongue. If possible, could the column please explain what is considered a “mansion”? Thank you very much.”

Reply:

"Dinh thự" is a Vietnamese word of Chinese origin, in which the character "dinh" 營 (also pronounced "doanh") is defined in the Chinese Dictionary as "四圍壘土而居" (to surround and live; to build a wall around and live in it). Therefore, the character "dinh/doanh" in "dinh thự" also appears in "dinh lũy" (fortress), "doanh trại" (camp), etc. The character "thự" 署 in "dinh thự" refers to a government building, an office; a guard post, a outpost, or a military encampment.

The Chinese dictionary gives two meanings for the word "mansion" (營署):

1. “Cựu thời dinh kỹ đích phường thự - 舊時營妓的坊署,” means “Referring to the residence of courtesans in the military camp in ancient times.”

The term "dinh ki" here refers to courtesans who served soldiers in the ancient Chinese army (a designation by the imperial court). The Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Language cites numerous sources such as: "Song Dynasty History - Annals of the Deposed Emperor: 'His desires gradually became unrestrained, and the Empress Dowager could no longer restrain him. He only took a few attendants, abandoned the army, and either traveled ten or twenty miles, or went to the city, or to various mansions, only returning at night.'"; "Southern History - Annals of Qi, Part Two - King Yulin, the Deposed Emperor: 'The king lived alone in Western Sichuan, and every night he would open the back door of the palace and, together with wicked men, go to various mansions to indulge in lavish feasts.'"

2. “指營舍官署” means “Referring to the buildings and offices within the military camp.” The Great Dictionary of Chinese Language quotes: “Southern Tang Book: “In March, a great fire broke out in Jiankang, burning for more than a month, almost all the houses and buildings were burned to the ground.”

Thus, in Chinese, "dingshu" (營署) has two main meanings: 1- Refers to the residence and workplace of courtesans serving in military camps; 2- Refers to military camps, offices, or administrative bodies within military camps.

In Vietnamese, most Vietnamese dictionaries define "dinh thự" as a large house reserved for officials and high-ranking civil servants. For example, the Vietnamese Dictionary (Hoang Phe - Vietlex) defines "dinh thự: a large, beautiful, and spacious house reserved for officials and high-ranking civil servants" and gives the example "The autumn sky is beautiful, golden light shines down on the roofs of castles and mansions." (Nguyen Huy Tuong).

Regarding the meaning of the character "dinh" (營), in Vietnamese there are also "tư dinh" (私營), meaning the private residence of an official; "dinh cơ" (營基) = large houses, properties, etc. Regarding the character "thự" (署), there are "quan thự" (官署), meaning the residence of an official, belonging to state property; "công thự" (公署), meaning a large building used as an office, etc.

Thus, the Vietnamese word "dinh thự" (mansion/mansion) was originally used to refer to a large, beautiful, and spacious house reserved for high-ranking officials and civil servants (the old meaning). Today, "dinh thự" is often used to refer to large, magnificent houses with grand, luxurious architecture belonging to the upper class, officials, or wealthy people. Therefore, "dinh thự" leans more towards describing a private residence (large-scale villa) than a government office, although, as mentioned above, its original meaning in Chinese was "dinh thự" (營署), which meant office, government office; a house reserved for high-ranking officials and civil servants.

Man Nong (Contributor)

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/dinh-thu-nbsp-nghia-la-gi-260690.htm