biến thái

nounverbadjective Sino-Vietnamese

Hanoi [ʔɓiən˧˦ tʰaːj˧˦]Huế [ʔɓiəŋ˦˧˥ tʰaːj˨˩˦]Saigon [ʔɓiəŋ˦˥ tʰaːj˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

biếnrisingsắc tháirisingsắc

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

biến thái means metamorphosis.

Chinese characters: 變態 (變 “to change” + 態 “state”)

Meanings of biến thái in English

Noun

metamorphosis
- biến thái hoàn toàncomplete metamorphosis
- biến thái không hoàn toànincomplete metamorphosis

Verb

to metamorphose

Adjective

humorous, informal sexually perverted or deviant ≈ dê dê xồm đồi truỵ
- Cái thằng/con này biến thái quá đi!You are such a pervert!

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 變態, composed of 變 (“to change”) and 態 (“state”), from Literary Chinese 變態 (biàntài, “to transform”); see the Japanese and Chinese entries for more.

Frequently asked questions

What does biến thái mean in English?

biến thái (noun) means "metamorphosis".

How do you pronounce biến thái?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓiən˧˦ tʰaːj˧˦]; Saigon [ʔɓiəŋ˦˥ tʰaːj˦˥]. Tones: biến — rising tone (sắc), thái — rising tone (sắc).

Is biến thái a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. biến thái is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 變態.

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.