hoa liễu

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 花柳, composed of 花 (“flower”) and 柳 (“willow”), from Chinese 花柳 (huāliǔ, “red of flowers and green of willows; beauty; courtesan; brothel”), from Chinese 花柳病 (huāliǔbìng, “venereal disease”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ liəw˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ liw˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [waː˧˧ liw˨˩˦]

Adjective

hoa liễu

1. (pathology) venereal; sexually transmitted

   bệnh hoa liễu ― a VD; an STD

See also

• da liễu