chỉ

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˦]

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• Audio (Hồ Chí Minh City)

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From Proto-Vietic *cis (“thread”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ks(i)ʔ or *ksih (“string; cord; rope; thread”). Compare North Central Vietnamese chỉn, Muong chỉl.

• (North Central Vietnam) chỉn

(classifier sợi) chỉ • (帋, 黹, 紙, 䊼, 𥿗)

1. (sewing) thread

Sino-Vietnamese word from 只.

chỉ

1. only

From Proto-Vietic *cih (“to point”); probably related to Sino-Vietnamese word from 指 (“finger”).

chỉ • (扯, 扺, 指)

1. to point
   • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Cánh đồng bất tận" chapter 2 (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house

     Chị hỏi "Tắm ở đâu, mấy cưng ?". Tôi chỉ xuống kinh.

     She asked, "Where can I bathe, sweethearts?" I pointed down the canal.

   Synonym: trỏ

Contraction of chị + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

chỉ

1. (Southern Vietnam) she; her

Borrowed from a neighbouring or trading language, probably Malay ci (“mace”) or Teochew 錢／钱 (tsîⁿ, “mace”), ultimately from Chinese 錢／钱. Cognate with English chee (“Chinese unit of weight”). Doublet of tiền.

chỉ

1. (chiefly gold or silver trading) a weight unit equal to 3.75 grams

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 止

Sino-Vietnamese word from 紙 (“paper”).

chỉ

1. (colloquial) Clipping of tín chỉ (“college credit”).

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 址

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 旨

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 趾

Sino-Vietnamese word from 枳.

chỉ

1. trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata)

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 芷