ntsej muag

White Hmong

Etymology

ntsej (“ear”) +‎ muag (“eye”), literally “ears and eyes”, being defining parts of the face.

The "contemptible being" meaning appears to be a metonymic semantic shift, as a "being who still shows one's face despite having lost face".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ᶯd͡ʐe˥˧.muə̯˧˩̤/

Noun

ntsej muag (classifier: lub)

1. the face
2. fame
3. (mildly derogatory?) shameless contemptible being

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN.