Vietnamese

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Etymology

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From Lưu Cầu (Ryukyu); Sino-Vietnamese word from 琉球.

Cognate with Portuguese leque (fan).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(classifier cái) lưu cầu

  1. (obsolete) jade-inlaid sword
    • 18th century, Nguyễn Gia Thiều (阮嘉韶) (1741-1798), Cung oán ngâm khúc (宮怨吟曲), Phú Văn đường tàng (富文堂藏), printed in 1866 edition:
      𣩂饒庒丐琉球
      𣩂饒朋丐幽愁毒諸
      Giết nhau chẳng cái lưu cầu,
      Giết nhau bằng cái u sầu, độc chưa?
      Why not kill me with a jade sword?
      Why kill me with anxiety instead? Just how vicious is that?