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bất đắc kì tử

adverb Sino-Vietnamese
Hanoi [ʔɓət̚˧˦ ʔɗak̚˧˦ ki˨˩ tɨ˧˩]Huế [ʔɓək̚˦˧˥ ʔɗak̚˦˧˥ kɪj˦˩ tɨ˧˨]Saigon [ʔɓək̚˦˥ ʔɗak̚˦˥ kɪj˨˩ tɨ˨˩˦] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

bất đắc kì tử means suddenly.

Chinese characters: 不得其死

Meanings of bất đắc kì tử in English

Adverb

  1. of dying suddenly
    • chết bất đắc kì tửto die suddenly
    • Em thề có ông mặt trời. Nếu em nói láo, ông mặt trời lặn, em chết bất đắc kì tử.I swear to the sun. If I'm being dishonest in any way, I'll drop dead as soon as the sun sets.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 不得其死 (“to not get one's (usual) death”), from the Chinese Analects. Compare 不得好死 (bất đắc hảo tử).

Frequently asked questions

What does bất đắc kì tử mean in English?

bất đắc kì tử (adverb) means "suddenly".

How do you pronounce bất đắc kì tử?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓət̚˧˦ ʔɗak̚˧˦ ki˨˩ tɨ˧˩]; Saigon [ʔɓək̚˦˥ ʔɗak̚˦˥ kɪj˨˩ tɨ˨˩˦]. Tones: bất — rising tone (sắc), đắc — rising tone (sắc), kì — falling tone (huyền), tử — dipping tone (hỏi).

Is bất đắc kì tử a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. bất đắc kì tử is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 不得其死.

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.