Jump to content

trời

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: troi, Troi, trói, tròi, and trôi

Vietnamese

[edit]
Trời

Alternative forms

[edit]
  • (Northern Vietnam, inland dialects) giời
  • (Northern Vietnam, coastal dialects, likely obsolete) lời
  • (Northern Vietnam, coastal dialects, endangered) tời
  • (Nẫu) trầu

Etymology

[edit]

From Proto-Vietic *b-ləːj (sky), from Proto-Austroasiatic *briːʔ (sky, rain). Compare also Muong tlời and Chut [Rục] pləːj².

This particular form is originally the Central-Southern form. The Northern forms include giời from the inland dialects, and lời and tời from the coastal dialects. Both of the coastal Northern forms had already disappeared or are highly endangered since the early 20th century, leaving giời as the representative Northern form, although even this form is losing ground to the written form.

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𫶸, composed of (MC pae) + (MC ljejH) (modern SV: ba lệ), 婆例 (MC ba ljejH) (modern SV: lệ) and 婆雷 (MC ba lwoj) (modern SV: lôi). Attested in Annan Jishi (安南即事, 13th century) as 勃耒 (MC bwot lwijX|lwojH) (modern SV: bột lỗi). Attested in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651) as blời.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

(classifier bầu) trời (𡗶, 𫯝, 𫶸, 𱘷)

  1. sky
    ngoài trờioutdoor(s) (literally, “out [under] the sky”)
  2. weather
    trời nóng/mát/lạnhit's hot/cool/cold
    Trời đẹp nhỉ?
    The weather is great, isn't it?
  3. (sometimes capitalized) Heaven, heavenly lord (personification of the sky)
    bị trời đánhto be punished by divine wrath (literally, “to be struck by Heaven”)
    Bắc thang lên mà hỏi ông trời!
    Set up a ladder, climb it, and ask the heavenly lord!
    trời đánh tránh bữa ănDon't cause ruckuses at meal times (literally, “Even the heavenly lord knows better not to strike at meal times”)
    Con cóc là cậu ông trời,
    Nếu ai đánh cóc thì trời đánh cho.
    The Toad is the heavenly lord’s boss,
    If you strike him, the heavenly lord will strike you.
    • 1921, Tản Đà, Hầu Trời [Serving the Heavenly Lord]:
      - “Trời nghe hạ giới ai ngâm nga,
      Tiếng ngâm vang cả sông Ngân Hà!
      Làm Trời mất ngủ, Trời đương mắng
      Có hay lên đọc, Trời nghe qua”.
      The Heavenly Lord heard someone reciting in the realm below,
      Such recital echoed across the Milky Way!
      It disturbed the His slumber, and He chided:
      “If you're so good, come up here and recite, I the Heavenly Lord will listen!”

Derived terms

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

trời

  1. (of anseriforms) wild
    ngỗng trờia wild goose
  2. Used after ngày, tháng, or năm to emphasize a lengthy duration
    mười ngày trờia full ten days
    gần ba năm trờialmost a full three years

Interjection

[edit]

trời

  1. (colloquial) good Lord!
    Trời, sao lại làm như thế?
    Good Lord, what did (you/he/she/it) do that for?

Synonyms

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]