hoành hành

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 橫行, composed of 橫 (“horizontal”) and 行 (“to go”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwajŋ̟˨˩ hajŋ̟˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hwɛɲ˦˩ hɛɲ˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wan˨˩ han˨˩]

Verb

hoành hành

1. (derogatory) to go around and wreak havoc or cause rampage or wanton destruction, be it physical or institutional