rắn đầu

Vietnamese

Etymology

rắn (“solid”) +‎ đầu (“head”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zan˧˦ ʔɗəw˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʐaŋ˦˧˥ ʔɗəw˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ɹaŋ˦˥ ʔɗəw˨˩]

Adjective

rắn đầu

1. stubborn

   Synonym: cứng đầu

   • Lê Quý Đôn, Rắn đầu rắn cổ, [Stubborn as Hell / Snake-Headed, Snake-Necked]

     Chẳng phải liu điu vẫn giống nhà!
     Rắn đầu biếng học chẳng ai tha.
     Thẹn đèn, hổ lửa, đau lòng mẹ,
     Nay thét, mai gầm, rát cổ cha.
     Ráo mép chỉ quen tuồng nói dối,
     Lằn lưng cam chịu vết roi tra.
     Từ rày Châu, Lỗ chăm nghề học,
     Kẻo hổ mang danh tiếng thế gia!

     I ain't some lightweight type, my family's still worthy of note!
     Stubbornly slacking in study, no one'd tolerate me.
     Always ashamed of me, my mother feels hurt,
     Daily scolding me, my father's throat's sore.
     My dry mouth's habitually lying,
     My bruised back's enduring whipping.
     By Confucius and Mencius, I swear to work hard from now on,
     So that my proud family won't have to be ashamed of me!

     (literally, “I ain't lightweight (some grass lizard), my breed's still worthy of note!
     Solid-headed (snake-headed), slacking in study, no one'd tolerate.
     Lamps shamed, fires embarrassed (a red-necked keelback), my mother feels hurt,
     Screaming today, roaring tomorrow (a banded krait), my father's throat's sore.
     My dry mouth (Chinese-ratsnake-mouth)'s habitually lying,
     My bruised back (lizard-back)'s enduring whipping.
     By Zou (the Indian ratsnake) and Lu, I swear to work hard from now on,
     So that I won't have to shamefully carry (be a cobra of) my proud family name!”)