ba chân bốn cẳng

Vietnamese

Etymology

ba (“three”) +‎ chân (“leg”) +‎ bốn (“four”) +‎ cẳng (“foot”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ t͡ɕən˧˧ ʔɓon˧˦ kaŋ˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ t͡ɕəŋ˧˧ ʔɓoŋ˦˧˥ kaŋ˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ cəŋ˧˧ ʔɓoŋ˦˥ kaŋ˨˩˦]

Adverb

ba chân bốn cẳng • (𠀧𧽍𦊚𨃈)

1. (figurative) at full tilt; at maximum speed; in a flash; on the double; like a bat out of hell