thẩm mĩ

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• thẩm mỹ

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 審美, composed of 審 (“to judge”) and 美 (“beauty”). Compare Japanese 審美 (shinbi).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰəm˧˩ mi˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰəm˧˨ mɪj˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰəm˨˩˦ mɪj˨˩˦]

Verb

thẩm mĩ

1. to appreciate the beautiful
2. (informal, usually attributive) to be cosmetic; to be aesthetic

   phẫu thuật thẩm mĩ ― cosmetic surgery

Noun

thẩm mĩ

1. (sense of) aesthetics