yểu
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 夭 (“to die young, to die prematurely”). The hỏi tone of SV yểu results regularly from the voiceless stop initial & rising tone of late Middle Chinese *ʔˠiɛuX. Compare yếu, an earlier borrowing from when Middle Chinese tone 上/上声 corresponded to Vietnamese tones B (sắc and nặng).
Pronunciation
Adjective
yểu