phải gió

See also: phải giờ

Middle Vietnamese

Verb

phải gió

1. to catch a cold and faint

Descendants

• Vietnamese: phải gió

References

Alexandre de Rhodes (1651) “phải gió”, in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (in Middle Vietnamese, Latin, and Portuguese), Rome: Propaganda Fide

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Middle Vietnamese phải gió, from phải +‎ gió.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [faːj˧˩ zɔ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [faːj˧˨ jɔ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [faːj˨˩˦ jɔ˦˥]

Verb

phải gió

1. to catch a cold and faint

   phải gió lăn ra đùng

   to catch a cold and faint with a thud

2. (sarcastic) to suddenly fall victim to an unidentified illness

Usage notes

In Vietnamese folk medicine, it is thought that harmful wind can penetrate the body, leading to illness or death. This term is sometimes used ironically to emphasize the suddenness of an illness or death.

Interjection

phải gió

1. (Northern Vietnam, sometimes sarcastic, optionally followed by (cái) nhà (literally “house”) and a suitable pronoun or kinship term) why you little; you son of a gun

   Phải gió nhà anh! Giấu cái mũ đâu rồi?

   You little twat! Where did you hide my hat?

References

"phải gió" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)