hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu

Vietnamese

Alternative forms
  • hoa lài cắm bãi cứt trâu

Etymology

Perhaps from folklore. Compare Chinese 一朵鮮花插在牛糞上／一朵鲜花插在牛粪上 (yī duǒ xiānhuā chā zài niúfèn shàng, literally “a flower stuck into a pile of cow dung”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation
  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˧˦ ʔɓaːj˦ˀ˥ kɨt̚˧˦ t͡ɕəw˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [hwaː˧˧ ɲaːj˦˩ kam˦˧˥ ʔɓaːj˧˨ kɨk̚˦˧˥ ʈəw˧˧]
  • (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [waː˧˧ ɲaːj˨˩ kam˦˥ ʔɓaːj˨˩˦ kɨk̚˦˥ ʈəw˧˧]

Noun

(classifier bông) hoa nhài cắm bãi cứt trâu

  1. (literal) an Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) stuck in a pile of water buffalo shit
  2. (figurative) a beautiful woman married to a man who's so terribly below her status or standard to be considered appropriate
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.