cẩn tắc vô ưu

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 謹 (“careful”), 則 (“then”), 無 (“no”) and 憂 (“worry”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kən˧˩ tak̚˧˦ vo˧˧ ʔiw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kəŋ˧˨ tak̚˦˧˥ vow˧˧ ʔɨw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kəŋ˨˩˦ tak̚˦˥ vow˧˧ ʔɨw˧˧] ~ [kəŋ˨˩˦ tak̚˦˥ jow˧˧ ʔɨw˧˧]

Idiom

cẩn tắc vô ưu

1. Good watch prevents misfortune. / Better safe than sorry.