đu càng
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Vietnamese
[edit]Etymology
[edit]đu (“to swing”) + càng (“claw”). This phrase invokes images of the Vietnam War — of soldiers who hitched onto the side of military helicopters, and of those who tried to evacuate during the Fall of Saigon by "swinging" and "clawing" onto retreating American helicopters.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɗu˧˧ kaːŋ˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɗʊw˧˧ kaːŋ˦˩]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɗʊw˧˧ kaːŋ˨˩]
Verb
[edit]- (literally) to dead hang; to swing with one's arms
- (figurative, political slander) to collaborate treasonously with the opposing forces
Adjective
[edit]- (figurative, derogatory) of refugees who emigrated from Vietnam during and after the Vietnam War