bảo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bao"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːw˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːw˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːw˨˩˦]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 報 (SV: báo). Doublet of báo.

Alternative forms

• biểu

Verb

bảo • (𠸒)

1. to inform or command by telling

   Lại đây mẹ bảo.

   Come here, I got something to tell you. / I got something I want you to do.

   Nó bảo thứ hai nghỉ.

   She told me we don't need to come on Monday.

   Đã bảo rồi !

   Told you!

   Bảo sao nghe vậy.

   I'm only doing what I'm told to do. / I'm only following orders.

   (literally, “I'm listening to what I'm told.”)

   Có câm không thì bảo !

   Shut the hell up or else!

   (literally, “Shut up or I'll tell you to!”)

Usage notes

If nói (“to say; to utter; to talk; to speak”) is grammatically analogous to English say in that it has an "indirect object" which follows với (“to”), then bảo is analogous to English tell in that it does not require với:

• Em nói với anh…

  I said to you…

• Em bảo anh…

  I told you…

There are some cases where a pronoun can be mistaken for an "indirect object" of nói:

• Em nói anh nghe.

  I'm telling you this.

This sentence can be changed into Em nói cho anh nghe (literally “I'm saying so that you hear.”). The verb nghe (“to hear”) is a clue that anh (“you”) is not merely an "object", but actually the subject of a different clause.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• khuyên bảo

 

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 寶 (“precious”).

Alternative forms

• bửu

Affix

bảo

1. precious

Derived terms

Derived terms

• bảo bối
• bảo vật