hú vía
Vietnamese
Etymology
hú (“to howl to call upon or summon”) + vía (“spirit”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hu˧˦ viə˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [hʊw˨˩˦ viə˨˩˦]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [hʊw˦˥ viə˦˥] ~ [hʊw˦˥ jiə˦˥]
Adverb
hú vía
- (of being scared or frightened) very much
- Synonym: hết hồn
- sợ hú vía
- to be scared shitless
Adjective
hú vía
- (of an incident) causing fright
- bị một phen hú vía
- to go through a terrifying experience
Interjection
hú vía
- used after being very startled, scared or frightened; whew; phew