dữ dằn

Vietnamese

Etymology

dữ +‎ dằn. "dằn" is possibly a fossil and derives from a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 寅 (“3rd Earth Branch; tiger in Chinese zodiac”, SV: dần); if so, dữ dằn would have originally meant "fierce, ferocious as a tiger".

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zɨ˦ˀ˥ zan˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jɨ˧˨ jaŋ˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jɨ˨˩˦ jaŋ˨˩]

Adjective

dữ dằn

1. fierce, ferocious