cõng chữ lên non

Vietnamese

Etymology

Literally “to go up a mountain, carrying letters on one's back”.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kawŋ͡m˦ˀ˥ t͡ɕɨ˦ˀ˥ len˧˧ nɔn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kawŋ͡m˧˨ t͡ɕɨ˧˨ len˧˧ nɔŋ˧˧] ~ [kɔŋ˧˨ t͡ɕɨ˧˨ len˧˧ nɔŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kawŋ͡m˨˩˦ cɨ˨˩˦ ləːn˧˧ nɔŋ˧˧]

Verb

cõng chữ lên non

1. (idiomatic) to go to a remote, mountainous and underdeveloped area to do voluntary teaching