nghiêu khê

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (now common) nhiêu khê

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蹺蹊, composed of 蹺 (“to stomp”) and 蹊 (“to traverse”), the reverse of the usual Chinese term 蹊蹺 / 蹊跷 (khê nghiêu).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋiəw˧˧ xe˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋiw˧˧ kʰej˧˧] ~ [ŋiw˧˧ xej˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋiw˧˧ kʰej˧˧] ~ [ŋiw˧˧ xej˧˧]

Adjective

nghiêu khê

1. (literary, rare) troublesome