ảo mộng

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from ảo and 夢 (“dream”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˧˩ məwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˧˨ məwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaːw˨˩˦ məwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

Noun

ảo mộng

1. (literary) a magical dream
2. an unrealistic dream

Usage notes

Sense 1 is often used in literature to compare with life, with things that appear real but are actually illusions, and so nothing is real eventually.