đàn gảy tai trâu
Vietnamese
Etymology
Probably a calque of Chinese 對牛彈琴 (đối ngưu đàn cầm); literally "playing a musical instrument for a water buffalo"
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɗaːn˨˩ ɣaj˧˩ taːj˧˧ t͡ɕəw˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɗaːŋ˦˩ ɣaj˧˨ taːj˧˧ ʈəw˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɗaːŋ˨˩ ɣaj˨˩˦ taːj˧˧ ʈəw˧˧]
Noun
đàn gảy tai trâu
- (idiomatic) a situation where you say something to someone and they simply would not listen or pay attention.