thanh mai trúc mã

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 青梅竹馬 (“green plums and bamboo horse”), from Chinese 青梅竹馬／青梅竹马 (qīngméizhúmǎ). Compare Japanese 竹馬の友 (chikuba no tomo, “childhood friend”, literally “bamboo horse friend”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰajŋ̟˧˧ maːj˧˧ t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦ maː˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰɛɲ˧˧ maːj˧˧ ʈʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥ maː˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tʰan˧˧ maːj˧˧ ʈʊwk͡p̚˦˥ maː˨˩˦]

Adjective

thanh mai trúc mã

1. (chiefly fiction) alluding to the notion of being a childhood friend of the opposite sex to someone and growing to be in love with them or vice-versa

   bạn thanh mai trúc mã

   the boy/girl who was one's childhood friend and with whom one's now falling in love