tứ trụ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 四柱, composed of 四 (“four”) and 柱 (“pillar”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tɨ˧˦ t͡ɕu˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tɨ˨˩˦ ʈʊw˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tɨ˦˥ ʈʊw˨˩˨]

Noun

tứ trụ

1. the four highest-ranking court officials in imperial Vietnam and China
2. (Vietnamese politics, informal) the four most important bureaucrats in the Communist Party and government