chập chờn

Vietnamese

Etymology

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Formally seems to be an -âp reduplicative of chờn, a word that doesn't appear in isolation in modern Vietnamese.”

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕəp̚˧˨ʔ t͡ɕəːn˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕəp̚˨˩ʔ t͡ɕəːŋ˦˩]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [cəp̚˨˩˨ cəːŋ˨˩]

Adjective

chập chờn • (𪮞𤒲)

unstable; on-off; fluctuating
mạng chập chờn ― unstable Internet connection
(figurative) half-asleep; half-awake
(archaic) flickering; twinkling; scintillating