bất thình lình
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Vietnamese[edit]
Etymology[edit]
bất + thình lình (“suddenly”), the former is Sino-Vietnamese from 不 (“not”), but has been generalised here to become an emphatic prefix for describing unforeseen, unexpected action. Compare bất chợt, bất đồ, bất giác, bất ngờ, bất thần, bất tử, etc.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓət̚˧˦ tʰïŋ˨˩ lïŋ˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓək̚˦˧˥ tʰɨn˦˩ lɨn˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɓək̚˦˥ tʰɨn˨˩ lɨn˨˩]
Adverb[edit]
- suddenly; all of a sudden (more emphatic than thình lình)