xung phong
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 衝鋒.
The original meaning is "to charge ahead to assault", which probably developed into "to willingly throw oneself out of safety", then to current "to volunteer". Even now when its usage has spread widely outside of military contexts, the term still carries a slight militaristic tone.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ fawŋ͡m˧˧]
Verb
xung phong
- to volunteer for a task or mission
- xung phong trả lời câu hỏi ― to volunteer to answer a question
- Có ai xung phong không?
- Is there any volunteer?