mất sổ gạo

Vietnamese

Etymology

mất (“to lose”) +‎ sổ (“registration book”) +‎ gạo (“rice”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mət̚˧˦ so˧˩ ɣaːw˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mək̚˦˧˥ ʂow˧˨ ɣaːw˨˩ʔ] ~ [mək̚˦˧˥ sow˧˨ ɣaːw˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [mək̚˦˥ ʂow˨˩˦ ɣaːw˨˩˨] ~ [mək̚˦˥ sow˨˩˦ ɣaːw˨˩˨]

Phrase

mất sổ gạo

1. a tragic, distressing, miserable situation (like losing one's book of rations)