beo

con (classifier)
豹 (CJK)
𤣄 (CJK)
𧴋 (CJK)

From Late Proto-Vietic *pɛːw (“leopard”), from Middle Chinese 豹 (MC paewH, “leopard”), probably through a Tai language. Doublet of báo.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a leopard, a jaguar or a cheetah


meo

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 毛 (SV: mao).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">mao</i>

vi-etym-sino

Giở đến hộp mực thì ra nước đã cạn khô. Lớp bông mực lên meo trắng xóa.

1937, Ngô Tất Tố, chapter 5, in Trong rừng nho:

When he opened the ink box, the ink had already gone dry. The inkpad was white due to mold infestation.

(now not used in isolation) mold; mildew


mun

From Proto-Vietic *ɓuːɲ (“ashes”). Cognate with Muong bunh.


báo

Sino-Vietnamese word from 豹 (“leopard”). Doublet of beo.


miu

(rare) a pussy-cat (affectionate term for a cat)


mèo

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-mèo.wav

Onomatopoeic, from the animal's cry. Compare Khasi miaw, Ahom 𑜈𑜢𑜈𑜫 (biw), Chinese 貓 /猫, Thai แมว (mɛɛo), Northern Thai ᨾᩯ᩠ᩅ, Lao ແມວ (mǣu), Lü ᦶᦙᧁ (maew), Shan မႅဝ်း (méao), Zhuang meuz.


hổ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 虎 (“tiger”). Doublet of khái.

Võ Tòng giết hổ trên đồi Cảnh Dương

Wu Song killed a tiger on Jingyang Ridge

Panthera tigris
Panthera tigris#Translingual


cọp

con (classifier)
𤜯 (CJK)
𧲫 (CJK)
𧳇 (CJK)


hùm

Compare Pacoh húm (“growl, roar of tiger”).

Chàng bèn mạnh bước tiến lên, dần dần men rượu bốc nồng nực, chàng trật cái nón dạ xuống sau gáy cho mát, cắp cây côn vào nách mà lên dốc đồi. Quay đầu nhìn về Tây, thì mặt trời đã lặn xuống, chỉ còn lóe lên những tia rẻ quạt. Bấy giờ là tháng mười, đêm dài ngày ngắn, chẳng mấy chốc mà tối. Chàng lẩm bẩm một mình:
– Hùm cọp ở đâu? Không khéo người lại nhát người, sợ bóng sợ vía, rồi chẳng ai dám lên đồi cũng nên!…
He kept pushing on, but eventually all the liquor heat started to come up, he had to pull down his straw hat to the back to cool down, while holding his staff under his armpit as he climbed the steep hill. Looking to the west, the sun had already set, there were only a few fan-shaped beams. It was currently the tenth lunar month, so nights were getting longer and days shorter, and it was soon nighttime. He muttered to himself:
– Where the hell's the tiger? Maybe some fools made things up to scare others, everybody chickened out and wouldn't set foot on this hill!…

Hỡi oai linh, cảnh nước non hùng vĩ!
Là nơi giống hùm thiêng ta ngự trị.
Nơi thênh thang ta vùng vẫy ngày xưa,
Nơi ta không còn được thấy bao giờ!
Có biết chăng trong những ngày ngao ngán,
Ta đương theo giấc mộng ngàn to lớn
Để hồn ta phảng phất được gần ngươi,
—Hỡi cảnh rừng ghê gớm của ta ơi!

1935, Thế Lữ, “Nhớ rừng (Lời con hổ ở vườn Bách thú) [Longing for the Jungle (As Told by a Zoo Tiger)]”, in Mấy vần thơ [Some Poetry Rhymes]:

O the proud spirit, the great scenery!
The place my sacred tiger kind rules.
The place I freely roamed in the old days,
The place I will never get to see ever again!
Do thou know, on these days of tedium,
I am pursuing an immense dream
In which my soul can linger on closely to thee,
—My dear glorious jungle!

(Central Vietnam or literary) tiger (Panthera tigris)


báo hoa mai

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ hwaː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ hwaː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ waː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

From báo (“large spotted felid”) + hoa mai (“Ochna integerrima, yellow mai flower”), so called due to the shape of the spots on their fur.


sư tử

[ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]


báo săn

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ san˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ saŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ saŋ˧˧]

Calque of Chinese 獵豹 /猎豹 (lièbào, literally “hunting leopard”).


báo sư tử

head

báo sư tử • (豹獅子)

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

báo (“leopard; jaguar; cheetah”) + sư tử (“lion”).


Dần

the third earthly branch represented by the Tiger


Mão

the fourth earthly branch represented by the Cat in Vietnam and by the Rabbit in China


tiểu hổ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 小虎 (“tiger cub”).


sư hổ

[ʂɨ˧˧ how˧˨]

[ʂɨ˧˧ how˨˩˦]

[sɨ˧˧ how˨˩˦]


hổ sư

[how˧˨ ʂɨ˧˧]

[how˨˩˦ ʂɨ˧˧]

[how˨˩˦ sɨ˧˧]


Sư Tử

[ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]


khái

From Proto-Vietic *k-haːlʔ / *kʰaːlʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klaʔ. Cognate with whence Khmer ខ្លា (khlaa), Bahnar kla, Khasi khla, Mon ကၠ. Doublet of hổ.
Compare also Khmer ខាល (khaal, “Year of the Tiger”), which was a Vietic loan.

(North Central Vietnam) a tiger (The mammal Panthera tigris)


méo

From Proto-Vietic *ɓɛːwʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɓiəwʔ (“askew”); cognate with Muong bẻo, Pacoh tarbeau (“deformed, ill-shaped”). Possibly related to vẹo. Compare Zhuang mbeuj.


cà uồm

[kaː˨˩ ʔuəm˨˩]

[kaː˦˩ ʔuəm˦˩]

[kaː˨˩ ʔuəm˨˩]

(onomatopoeia, of a leopard) growl; roar


báo bờm

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ ʔɓəːm˨˩]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ʔɓəːm˦˩]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ʔɓəːm˨˩]


Mèo

(now dated, can be derogatory) the Hmong people


sư tử Hà Đông

head

sư tử Hà Đông

sư tử Hà Đông

vi-noun

sư tử Hà Đông

sư tử Hà Đông

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˩ haː˨˩ ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨ haː˦˩ ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨ haː˦˩ ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦ haː˨˩ ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦ haː˨˩ ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧]

Calque of Chinese 河東獅子 /河东狮子 (Hà Đông sư tử, literally “Hedong's lioness”), equivalent to sư tử + Hà Đông. See also Chinese 河東獅吼 /河东狮吼 (Hà Đông sư hống, literally “Hedong's lioness's roar”).

cal

Hà Đông sư tử

cog

Hàng tháng tôi phải nộp lương cho vợ, không thì con sư tử Hà Đông đó giết tôi mất!

I have to submit my salary to my wife every month, or else that Hedong lioness will kill me!

(figurative) an aggressive woman who's intimidating to her own husband or lover


bờm

Perhaps from a folktale of a silly, clumsy boy named "Bờm", who was offered many valuable things in exchange for his fan, but refused them all and only accepted a handful of sticky rice. This tale is usually expressed in poetic form.
Thằng Bờm có cái quạt mo
Phú ông xin đổi ba bò chín trâu
Bờm rằng Bờm chẳng lấy trâu
Phú ông xin đổi một xâu cá mè
Bờm rằng Bờm chẳng lấy mè
Phú ông xin đổi một bè gỗ lim
Bờm rằng Bờm chẳng lấy lim
Phú ông xin đổi con chim đồi mồi
Bờm rằng Bờm chẳng lấy mồi
Phú ông xin đổi nắm xôi, Bờm cười.
: Bờm-boy'd got a spathe fan
: Rich man asked for it for three zebus and nine buffaloes
: Bờm said Bờm wanted no buffaloes
: Rich man asked for it for a string of barbs
: Bờm said Bờm wanted no barbs
: Rich man asked for it for a raft made of ge mu
: Bờm said Bờm wanted no ge mu
: Rich man asked for it for a bird statue made of the shell of a turtle
: Bờm said Bờm wanted no turtle
: Rich man asked for it for a handful of sticky rice, and Bờm smiled.

(colloquial, humorous) silly and lacking in common sense


chó chê mèo lắm lông

[t͡ɕɔ˧˦ t͡ɕe˧˧ mɛw˨˩ lam˧˦ ləwŋ͡m˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ t͡ɕej˧˧ mɛw˦˩ lam˦˧˥ ləwŋ͡m˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ cej˧˧ mɛw˨˩ lam˦˥ ləwŋ͡m˧˧]

pot calling the kettle black
pot calling the kettle black#English

(figurative) the pot calling the kettle black


chưa biết mèo nào cắn mỉu nào

[t͡ɕɨə˧˧ ʔɓiət̚˧˦ mɛw˨˩ naːw˨˩ kan˧˦ miw˧˩ naːw˨˩]

[t͡ɕɨə˧˧ ʔɓiək̚˦˧˥ mɛw˦˩ naːw˦˩ kaŋ˦˧˥ miw˧˨ naːw˦˩]

[cɨə˧˧ ʔɓiək̚˦˥ mɛw˨˩ naːw˨˩ kaŋ˦˥ miw˨˩˦ naːw˨˩]

(figurative) we'll see about that; just you wait


chúa sơn lâm

[t͡ɕuə˧˦ səːn˧˧ ləm˧˧]

[t͡ɕuə˨˩˦ ʂəːŋ˧˧ ləm˧˧]

[t͡ɕuə˨˩˦ səːŋ˧˧ ləm˧˧]

[cuə˦˥ ʂəːŋ˧˧ ləm˧˧]

[cuə˦˥ səːŋ˧˧ ləm˧˧]

chúa (“lord”) + sơn lâm (“the wilderness”).

com

king of the jungle (the title for the tiger)


linh miêu

[lïŋ˧˧ miəw˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 靈貓 (“civet”), with the 貓 /猫 reinterpreted to literally mean "cat", rather than any cat-like animal such as the civet. Compare linh cẩu, Linh trưởng.


mèo khen mèo dài đuôi

[mɛw˨˩ xɛn˧˧ mɛw˨˩ zaːj˨˩ ʔɗuəj˧˧]

[mɛw˦˩ kʰɛŋ˧˧ mɛw˦˩ jaːj˦˩ ʔɗuj˧˧]

[mɛw˦˩ xɛŋ˧˧ mɛw˦˩ jaːj˦˩ ʔɗuj˧˧]

[mɛw˨˩ kʰɛŋ˧˧ mɛw˨˩ jaːj˨˩ ʔɗuj˧˧]

[mɛw˨˩ xɛŋ˧˧ mɛw˨˩ jaːj˨˩ ʔɗuj˧˧]

(literal) cats who boast of their own long tails


mèo tam thể

[mɛw˨˩ taːm˧˧ tʰe˧˩]

[mɛw˨˩ taːm˧˧ tʰej˨˩˦]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-mèo tam thể.wav

From mèo (“cat”) + tam thể (“three colours”), a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 三采 (SV: tam thải).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tam thải</i>


mèo già hoá cáo

[mɛw˨˩ zaː˨˩ hwaː˧˦ kaːw˧˦]

[mɛw˦˩ jaː˦˩ hwaː˨˩˦ kaːw˨˩˦]

[mɛw˨˩ jaː˨˩ waː˦˥ kaːw˦˥]

(literal) when a cat is old enough, it will turn into a fox


mèo báo

[mɛw˨˩ ʔɓaːw˧˦]

[mɛw˦˩ ʔɓaːw˨˩˦]

[mɛw˨˩ ʔɓaːw˦˥]

Prionailurus bengalensis
Prionailurus bengalensis#Translingual


báo ghê-pa

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ ɣe˧˧ paː˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ɣej˧˧ paː˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ɣej˧˧ paː˧˧]

báo + ghê-pa, the latter from French guépard.


mèo rừng

[mɛw˨˩ zɨŋ˨˩]

[mɛw˦˩ ʐɨŋ˦˩]

[mɛw˨˩ ɹɨŋ˨˩]


mèo mướp

[mɛw˨˩ mɨəp̚˧˦]

[mɛw˦˩ mɨəp̚˦˧˥]

[mɛw˨˩ mɨəp̚˦˥]


chó cứ sủa còn đoàn người cứ đi

[t͡ɕɔ˧˦ kɨ˧˦ suə˧˩ kɔn˨˩ ʔɗwaːn˨˩ ŋɨəj˨˩ kɨ˧˦ ʔɗi˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ kɨ˨˩˦ ʂuə˧˨ kɔŋ˦˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˦˩ ŋɨj˦˩ kɨ˨˩˦ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ kɨ˨˩˦ suə˧˨ kɔŋ˦˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˦˩ ŋɨj˦˩ kɨ˨˩˦ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ kɨ˦˥ ʂuə˨˩˦ kɔŋ˨˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˨˩ ŋɨj˨˩ kɨ˦˥ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ kɨ˦˥ suə˨˩˦ kɔŋ˨˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˨˩ ŋɨj˨˩ kɨ˦˥ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

Calque of French les chiens aboient, la caravane passe, possibly ultimately from a Turkic language.
See the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on for more.

calque

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on
the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on


Bạch Hổ

[ʔɓajk̟̚˧˨ʔ ho˧˩]

[ʔɓat̚˨˩ʔ how˧˨]

[ʔɓat̚˨˩˨ how˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 白虎, composed of 白 (“white”) and 虎 (“tiger”), from Literary Chinese 白虎 (báihǔ).

vi-etym-sino

Bạch Hổ Hoạt Lạc Cao