ntsej muag

White Hmong

Etymology

ntsej (“ear”) +‎ muag (“eye”), literally “ears and eyes”, being defining parts of the face.

The "contemptible being" meaning appears to be a metonymic semantic shift, as a "being who still shows one's face despite having lost face".

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ᶯd͡ʐe˥˧.muə̯˧˩̤/

Noun

ntsej muag (classifier: lub)

  1. the face
  2. fame
  3. (mildly derogatory?) shameless contemptible being

References
  • Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎, SEAP Publications, →ISBN.
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