vô duyên
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
- (Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) dô diên
- (Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) dzô dziên
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 無緣 (“not tied by fate”). The other senses are from the extension in meanings of duyên (“the tying of fate; tact, charm”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [vo˧˧ zwiən˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [vow˧˧ jwiəŋ˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [vow˧˧ j⁽ʷ⁾iəŋ˧˧] ~ [jow˧˧ j⁽ʷ⁾iəŋ˧˧]
Audio (Hà Nội) (file)
Adjective
vô duyên
- (of people) not "tied" by fate, therefore unable to get along or unlikely to meet
- (of a person or a deed of theirs) tactless; charm-free
- (of a person) nosy or unwelcome
- (of something) tacky