mắt xanh

Vietnamese

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 青眼 (qīngyǎn).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mat̚˧˦ sajŋ̟˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mak̚˦˧˥ sɛɲ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [mak̚˦˥ san˧˧]

Noun

mắt xanh

1. (literally) black eyes
2. (figurative) beautiful eyes (of a girl); (by extension) affection; favour; appreciation

   lọt vào mắt xanh ― to catch someone's eye

References

• Hoàng Tuấn Công (2019), “Lọt vào ‘mắt xanh’ hay ‘mắt đen’?” (To Be Caught in Someone's ‘Blue Eyes’ or ‘Black Eyes’?) Người Lao Động (Workers) Newspaper