vạn tuế

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 萬歲, composed of 萬 (“ten thousand”) and 歲 (“years of age”). Doublet of muôn tuổi.

Compare thiên tuế (“Cycas pectinata”, literally “thousand years”). The Cycas species are so named likely because of their long lifespan.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaːn˧˨ʔ twe˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vaːŋ˨˩ʔ twej˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaːŋ˨˩˨ t⁽ʷ⁾ej˦˥] ~ [jaːŋ˨˩˨ t⁽ʷ⁾ej˦˥]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

Interjection

vạn tuế

1. (archaic, to a monarch) long live

   Hoàng thượng vạn tuế! Vạn tuế! Vạn vạn tuế!

   Long live the emperor!

See also

• muôn năm

Noun

(classifier cây) vạn tuế

1. sago palm (Cycas revoluta)

See also

• thiên tuế (“Cycas pectinata”)