lì xì

See also: lìxí and lìxī

Vietnamese

Etymology

From old or dialectal Cantonese 利市 (lai6 si6; lợi thị).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [li˨˩ si˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɪj˦˩ sɪj˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [lɪj˨˩ sɪj˨˩]

Verb

lì xì

1. (chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to give money in (Usually) red envelopes to children or elders during the Lunar New Year; to give gratuity

Synonyms

• mừng tuổi