tiên sinh
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
Sino-Vietnamese word from 先生, composed of 先 (“fore-”) and 生 (“born”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tiən˧˧ sïŋ˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [tiəŋ˧˧ sɨn˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [tiəŋ˧˧ sɨn˧˧]
Noun edit
- (Chinese fiction) you, a senior or knowledgeable person
Usage notes edit
- Currently only used in period or wuxia dramas or to refer to certain historical figures. The modern sense of the Chinese 先生 (xiānshēng, “Mr.”) is simply expressed with ông, hence "ông Dương" rather than *"Dương tiên sinh".