tiêu thổ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 焦土.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tiəw˧˧ tʰo˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tiw˧˧ tʰow˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tiw˧˧ tʰow˨˩˦]

Verb

tiêu thổ

1. to conduct scorched earth warfare

Usage notes

• More often than not, this term is used within "resistance war" contexts (kháng chiến), not offensive ones (xâm lược).