bổn

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

(originally Northern Vietnam, now widespread) bản

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 本; this was originally the common form and later the Southern form. Doublet of vốn and bản, the Northern form.

bổn phận and bổn cũ soạn lại are the sole cases where this morpheme fully preserves its literary status in modern Vietnamese dialects, while other usages are considered "humorous" or "odd".

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓon˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓoŋ˧˨]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓoŋ˨˩˦]

Prefix

bổn

(Chinese fiction, sometimes used ironically in real life) I/me, a respectable...
bổn cô nương ― I/me, a respectable young lady

bổn công tử ― I/me, a respectable young gentleman

bổn quan ― I/me, a respectable official

bổn vương ― I/me, a respectable prince

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

See also