tai to mặt lớn

Vietnamese

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 肥頭大耳／肥头大耳 (phì đầu đại nhĩ, literally “big head and big ears”), from tai (“ear”) +‎ to (“big”) +‎ mặt (“face”) +‎ lớn (“big”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːj˧˧ tɔ˧˧ mat̚˧˨ʔ ləːn˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taːj˧˧ tɔ˧˧ mak̚˨˩ʔ ləːŋ˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [taːj˧˧ tɔ˧˧ mak̚˨˩˨ ləːŋ˦˥]

Idiom

tai to mặt lớn

1. (of a person, derogatory) having power or influence in society; powerful; influential