nghỉ

See also: nghi, nghĩ, and nghị

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋɪj˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋɪj˨˩˦]

Etymology 1

The earlier meaning is "easy", as seen in Hồng Đức quốc âm thi tập (洪德國音詩集, 15th century) and Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The current meaning "to rest, to take a break" probably developed from "to take it easy".

Verb

nghỉ • (𢪀, 擬, 己, 忋, 𱎢, 󱬈)

1. to take a break
2. to get to temporarily leave work (e.g., for holiday/vacation, for pregnancy, etc.)
3. (figurative, euphemistic) to die

Derived terms

• nghỉ ngơi (“to rest”)
• nhà nghỉ (“guesthouse”)

 

Etymology 2

Pronoun

nghỉ • (𠉝)

1. (archaic, literary) he; him
   • Late 17th - early 18th century, anonymous, Thiên Nam ngữ lục ngoại kỷ (Peripheral Records in the Language of the Southern Sky), folio 67b

     兵(Binh)權(quyền)默(mặc)𱎢(nghỉ)冲(trong)外(ngoài)
     腰(Yêu)埃(ai)時(thì)拮(cất)𢢂(ghét)埃(ai)時(thì)𢸝(dìm)

     He was granted military command and left alone to promote whomever he liked and hinder whomever he hated.

2. (archaic, literary) she; her