bánh bèo
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
From bánh (“cake; pastry”) + bèo (“duckweed”), so named as the rice cake is shaped like the leaves of duckweed.
The slang sense derives itself from the soft, rubbery texture of the cake.
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɓɛw˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɓɛw˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɓɛw˨˩]
Noun edit
- bánh bèo (small steamed rice cake popular in central Vietnam)
- Bà Ba béo bán bánh bèo bên bờ biển.
- She sells seashells by the seashore.
- (literally, “The fat Mrs. Ba sells bánh bèo by the seashore.”)
- (figurative, slang) a girl who is overly girly, weak and dependent, or an effeminate man