lầu xanh

Vietnamese

Etymology

lầu (“multistory building”) +‎ xanh (“grue”), calque of Chinese 青樓／青楼 (thanh lâu).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ləw˨˩ sajŋ̟˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ləw˦˩ sɛɲ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ləw˨˩ san˧˧]

Noun

lầu xanh • (楼撑, 樓撑)

1. (history, literary) a brothel