tiền sử

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 前 (“fore-”) and 史 (“history”). Compare Chinese 史前 (sử tiền), Chinese 史前史 (sử tiền sử), and Japanese 先史 (senshi, tiên sử).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tiən˨˩ sɨ˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tiəŋ˦˩ ʂɨ˧˨] ~ [tiəŋ˦˩ sɨ˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tiəŋ˨˩ ʂɨ˨˩˦] ~ [tiəŋ˨˩ sɨ˨˩˦]

Noun

tiền sử

1. prehistory (history of human culture prior to written records)
2. (medicine, of a patient) the fact that you have had a disease or illness before; a "history" of a particular disease or illness

   Nó có tiền sử động kinh.

   He's got a seizure before.

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with tiền sự (“committed crimes”).

See also

• tiểu sử
• lịch sử