chìm nổi

Vietnamese

Etymology

chìm (“to be sunk”) +‎ nổi (“to float”), calque of Chinese 沉浮 (trầm phù, “to sink and then float”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕim˨˩ noj˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕim˦˩ noj˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cim˨˩ noj˨˩˦]

Verb

chìm nổi • (沉𬈗)

1. to sink and then float (especially repeatedly)
2. (figurative) to struggle in the vicissitudes