hồ li

See also: holi, Holi, holí, and hòli

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• hồ ly

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 狐狸 (“fox”), shortened from Chinese 狐狸精 (hồ li tinh, “huli jing”, literally “fox spirit”). The most well-known of this kind is a fictitious counterpart of Daji, a female one that allured King Zhou of Shang into a reign of cruelty.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ho˨˩ li˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [how˦˩ lɪj˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [how˨˩ lɪj˧˧]

Noun

(classifier con) hồ li

1. (Chinese mythology) a type of fox yaoguai that disguises as a human; a fox in human's clothing
2. (rare, derogatory) a mistress