quyến rũ

Vietnamese edit

Etymology edit

The now obsolete form quyến dũ is quite sufficiently attested, notably in the Southern dialects that did not have the ‹r-›-‹d-› merger. The second element most likely being a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 誘 (SV: dụ).

The form rũ might be a result of hypercorrection due to the merger ‹r-›-‹d-› in the inland Northern dialects, with the new spelling then spread and adopted in the dialects where the merger did not occur.

Pronunciation edit

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kwiən˧˦ zu˦ˀ˥]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [kwiəŋ˦˧˥ ʐʊw˧˨]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [wiəŋ˦˥ ɹʊw˨˩˦]

Verb edit

quyến rũ

to seduce; to charm; to captivate

Adjective edit

quyến rũ

charming; captivating
(sexually, physically, romantically) attractive
sức quyến rũ ― attractiveness; charm