thôi

See also: Appendix:Variations of "thoi"

Vietnamese

FWOTD – 20 December 2022

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 退 (SV: thối, thoái).

For the tonal correspondence, see other post-reconstructed Old Chinese, pre-Middle Chinese loans such as bèn, buôn, chung, cùng, where words with Vietnamese A/bằng tones correspond to Qieyun system tone C/去聲 / 去声 (qùshēng). Particularly compare đôi (“pair”), which exhibits the exact same correspondence in the rime as with thôi.

Alternative forms

• (Nẫu) thâu
• (Internet slang, text messaging) thui

Noun

thôi • (催, 崔, 推, 傕)

1. a long while

Verb

thôi • (催, 崔, 推, 傕)

1. to stop (forever); to cease; to discontinue; to quit
   • 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 2, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng Publishing House:

     Thấy tôi không muốn nói, bà ta cũng thôi không hỏi.

     Seeing that I didn't want to tell, she also stopped asking.

Derived terms

• thôi nôi

Interjection

thôi • (催, 崔, 推, 傕)

1. Used sentence-initially to express a polite negative: that's it; enough

Particle

thôi • (催, 崔, 推, 傕)

1. (colloquial, used sentence-finally) that's all; merely; only; just
2. (colloquial, used sentence-initially) introduces a new statement that contradicts previously stated statement(s)

Usage notes

(particle):

• As a particle used initially in sentences, thôi is often used with mà and thì, as mà thôi and thôi thì.
• Also, when used as a sentence-initial particle, the sentence-final particles đi and thôi ("that's all; merely; only") are usually utilized to clarify the quantity mentioned in the new statement compared to the previous statement:

  Thôi cho hai phần đi.

  On second thought, I want to order two portions (I originally ordered just one portion).

  Thôi cho hai phần thôi.

  On second thought, I want to order two portions (I originally ordered three or more portions).

(pronunciation):

• Colloquially, thôi is one of the instances where aspirated stops sometimes shift into just /h/ in Vietnamese, so that thôi is pronounced as hôi. Compare also hông (from không).
• Sometimes deliberately spelled thui to convey informality on the Internet although the word is rarely (if ever) pronounced as such in real life. Compare rùi (from rồi).

Etymology 2

Verb

thôi

1. to bleed color when wet and stain other objects

   Đừng giặt áo đỏ cùng áo trắng kẻo bị thôi màu.

   Don't wash red shirts with white ones or they will get stained.