khuôn trăng

Vietnamese

Etymology

khuôn (“shape”) +‎ trăng (“the Moon”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [xuən˧˧ t͡ɕaŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kʰuəŋ˧˧ ʈaŋ˧˧] ~ [xuəŋ˧˧ ʈaŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kʰuəŋ˧˧ ʈaŋ˧˧] ~ [xuəŋ˧˧ ʈaŋ˧˧]

Noun

khuôn trăng • (囷𦝄)

1. (literary) the pretty face of a woman
   • 1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều)‎^[1], published 1866, lines 19–20:

     雲(Vân)󰏙(xem)莊(trang)重(trọng)恪(khác)潙(vời)
     囷(Khuôn)𦝄(trăng)苔(đầy)惮(đặn)󰞺(nét)𧍋(ngài)𦬑(nở)囊(nang)

     Vân’s beauty was very remarkable.
     Her eyebrows – full crescent arcs, her moonlit face – oval.