vô duyên

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) dô diên
• (Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) dzô dziên

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 無緣 (“not tied by fate”). The other senses are from the extension in meanings of duyên (“the tying of fate; tact, charm”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vo˧˧ zwiən˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vow˧˧ jwiəŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [vow˧˧ j⁽ʷ⁾iəŋ˧˧] ~ [jow˧˧ j⁽ʷ⁾iəŋ˧˧]

• Audio (Hà Nội)

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Adjective

vô duyên

1. (of people) not "tied" by fate, therefore unable to get along or unlikely to meet
2. (of a person or a deed of theirs) tactless; charm-free
3. (of a person) nosy or unwelcome
4. (of something) tacky