bốn bể
Vietnamese
Etymology
bốn (“four”) + bể (“sea; ocean”), calque of Chinese 四海 (tứ hải, “four seas”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓon˧˦ ʔɓe˧˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓoŋ˦˧˥ ʔɓej˧˨]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɓoŋ˦˥ ʔɓej˨˩˦]
Noun
bốn bể
- the seas around China
- (literary) the four oceans, the Pacific, the Indian, the Atlantic and the Arctic
- (literary) the whole world
Synonyms
- bốn biển
- tứ hải
See also
- năm châu bốn bể