hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• hoa lài cắm bãi cứt trâu

Etymology

Perhaps from folklore. Compare Chinese 一朵鮮花插在牛糞上／一朵鲜花插在牛粪上 (yī duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng, literally “a flower stuck into a pile of cow dung”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˧˦ ʔɓaːj˦ˀ˥ kɨt̚˧˦ t͡ɕəw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˦˩ kam˦˧˥ ʔɓaːj˧˨ kɨk̚˦˧˥ ʈəw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [waː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˦˥ ʔɓaːj˨˩˦ kɨk̚˦˥ ʈəw˧˧]

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Noun

(classifier bông) hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu

1. (literal) an Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) stuck in a pile of water buffalo shit
2. (figurative) a beautiful woman married to a man who's so terribly below her status or standard to be considered appropriate