hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
- hoa lài cắm bãi cứt trâu
Etymology
Perhaps from folklore. Compare Chinese 一朵鮮花插在牛糞上 (literally “a flower stuck into a pile of cow dung”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˧˦ ʔɓaːj˦ˀ˥ kɨt̚˧˦ t͡ɕəw˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˦˩ kam˦˧˥ ʔɓaːj˧˨ kɨk̚˦˧˥ ʈəw˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [waː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˦˥ ʔɓaːj˨˩˦ kɨk̚˦˥ ʈəw˧˧]
Noun
(classifier bông) hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu
- (literally) an Arabian jasmine stuck in a pile of bullshit
- (figuratively) a beautiful woman married to a man who's terribly below her status or standard to be considered appropriate