Wiktionary

nước

Middle Vietnamese edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Vietic *ɗaːk (“water”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɗaak (“water”).

Noun edit

nước

  1. water
  2. country

Descendants edit

  • Vietnamese: nước

References edit

Vietnamese edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle Vietnamese nước, from Proto-Vietic *ɗaːk (“water”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɗaak (“water”). Cognates with Nghệ An/Hà Tĩnh dialects nác, Muong đác, Khmer ទឹក (tik), Bahnar đak, Eastern Mnong dak, Central Nicobarese râk/dâk and Santali ᱫᱟᱜ (dak’).

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

nước • (渃, 𫭔, 匿)

  1. water
    • 2016 June 15, “Nước bẩn lấy máu mà rửa!”, in Tuổi Trẻ Online‎[1]:
      Vua hỏi: tay bẩn thì lấy nước để rửa, rứa nước bẩn lấy chi mà rửa? Ông quan thị vệ hoảng hốt, không biết trả lời thế nào. Vua liền nhấn giọng: “Nước bẩn thì lấy máu mà rửa!”.
      The emperor (Duy Tân) asked: “If your hands are dirty, you would wash them with water. But if the water (= country) is dirty, what would you wash it with?” The flustered court officials could not answer. The emperor then raised his voice: “If the water / country is dirty, you should wash it with blood!”
  2. liquid; fluid
    nước cam ― orange juice
    nước chanh ― lime juice
    nước dừa ― coconut water
    nước mắt ― tear
    nước mũi ― mucus
    nước đái ― pee; piss
    nước tiểu ― urine
    • (Can we date this quote?), Hoài An (lyrics and music), “Dòng sông băng [Icy River]”:
      ♂: Nếu có nước mắt, nếu có yêu thương,
      Mênh mông dòng sông thì thầm cùng em.
      ♂: If there are tears, if there’s love,
      The vast river will whisper with you.
  3. the liquid part of a broth
    Synonyms: nước dùng, nước lèo
  4. Short for đất nước (“country; polity”).
    nước Mỹ ― the United States
    • 19th century, Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, Qua đèo Ngang [Passing by the Ngang Pass]:
      𢖵渃𤴬𢚸𡥵蟈蟈
      傷茄痗𠰘丐𬷬𬷬
      Nhớ nước, đau lòng con cuốc cuốc,
      Thương nhà, mỏi miệng cái da da.
      Missing its land, a swamphen feels hurt deeply,
      Longing for its home, a francolin's screaming desperately.
See also edit
Derived terms
See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

Likely related to bước (“to step”) through an infixed form.

Noun edit

(classifier cái) nước • (著)

  1. (chiefly in board games) move, step
    nước cờ khôn ngoan ― a brilliant move (in chess)
See also edit
Derived terms

Further reading edit

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