sinh lí

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• sinh lý

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 生理, composed of 生 (“life”) and 理 (“workings”). Compare địa lí (“geography”, literally “workings of the earth”), vật lí (“physics”, literally “workings of things”) and tâm lí (“psychology”, literally “workings of the mind”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sïŋ˧˧ li˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂɨn˧˧ lɪj˨˩˦] ~ [sɨn˧˧ lɪj˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʂɨn˧˧ lɪj˦˥] ~ [sɨn˧˧ lɪj˦˥]

Noun

sinh lí

1. physiology
2. (medicine) libido (sexual urges or drives)

   sinh lí yếu

   low sex drive

   yếu sinh lí

   to have low libido; (humorous, especially of a male human) to be physically weak

Adjective

sinh lí

1. physiological

See also

• tâm sinh lí