kì ngộ

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• kỳ ngộ

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 奇遇.

Compared to its counterparts in other languages in the Sinosphere, the meaning of the Vietnamese word carries more emphasis on the kì (“strange, weird”) part.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ki˨˩ ŋo˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kɪj˦˩ ŋow˨˩ʔ]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kɪj˨˩ ŋow˨˩˨]

Noun

kì ngộ

1. (literary) an unexpected meeting that is deemed marvelous or predetermined
   • 1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều)‎^[1]:

     氷傾𢖵景𢖵𠊛
     𢖵尼奇遇倍移𨃴𠫾

     Bâng khuâng nhớ cảnh nhớ người,
     Nhớ nơi kì ngộ vội dời gót đi.

     Yearning for that person, the scenery,
     And the place of their unexpected fateful encounter, he went out hurriedly.