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ăn miếng trả miếng

phrase
Hanoi [ʔan˧˧ miəŋ˧˦ t͡ɕaː˧˩ miəŋ˧˦]Huế [ʔaŋ˧˧ miəŋ˦˧˥ ʈaː˧˨ miəŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [ʔaŋ˧˧ miəŋ˦˥ ʈaː˨˩˦ miəŋ˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
ănlevelngangmiếngrisingsắctrảdippinghỏimiếngrisingsắc

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

ăn miếng trả miếng means tit for tat.

Meanings of ăn miếng trả miếng in English

Phrase

  1. idiomatic tit for tat

Etymology

ăn (“to eat”) + miếng (“piece”) + trả (“to pay back”) + miếng.

Frequently asked questions

What does ăn miếng trả miếng mean in English?

ăn miếng trả miếng (phrase) means "tit for tat".

How do you pronounce ăn miếng trả miếng?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔan˧˧ miəŋ˧˦ t͡ɕaː˧˩ miəŋ˧˦]; Saigon [ʔaŋ˧˧ miəŋ˦˥ ʈaː˨˩˦ miəŋ˦˥]. Tones: ăn — level tone (ngang), miếng — rising tone (sắc), trả — dipping tone (hỏi), miếng — rising tone (sắc).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.