ngần

ngần

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋən˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋəŋ˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋəŋ˨˩]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 垠 (SV: ngân).

Noun

ngần

1. quantity; measure; (this, that) much, many
2. limit; bound; moderation

Derived terms

Derived terms

• tần ngần
• vô ngần

 

Etymology 2

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 銀 (“silver”, SV: ngân).

Adjective

ngần

1. (in compounds) silvery white; very white
   • 1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Truyện Kiều (傳翹) [The Tale of Kieu], Liễu Văn Ðường edition, published 1866, lines 1191-1192:

     惜(Tiếc)台(thay)𥪞(trong)價(giá)𤽸(trắng)銀(ngần)
     典(Đến)風(phong)塵(trần)拱(cũng)風(phong)塵(trần)如(như)唉(ai)

     What a pity for such a girl, purer than snow, and whiter than silver!
     Here she was now, in this dusty and windy world, undergoing the same misfortunes of life as those which had fallen upon others.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• cá ngần
• trắng ngần