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nước sông không phạm nước giếng

phrase
Hanoi [nɨək̚˧˦ səwŋ͡m˧˧ xəwŋ͡m˧˧ faːm˧˨ʔ nɨək̚˧˦ ziəŋ˧˦]Huế [nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʂəwŋ͡m˧˧ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ faːm˨˩ʔ nɨək̚˦˧˥ jiəŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [nɨək̚˦˥ ʂəwŋ͡m˧˧ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ faːm˨˩˨ nɨək̚˦˥ jiəŋ˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

Meanings of nước sông không phạm nước giếng in English

Phrase

  1. idiomatic people should keep to themselves and mind their own business

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 河水不犯井水 (hà thuỷ bất phạm tỉnh thuỷ).

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce nước sông không phạm nước giếng?

IPA: Hanoi [nɨək̚˧˦ səwŋ͡m˧˧ xəwŋ͡m˧˧ faːm˧˨ʔ nɨək̚˧˦ ziəŋ˧˦]; Saigon [nɨək̚˦˥ ʂəwŋ͡m˧˧ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ faːm˨˩˨ nɨək̚˦˥ jiəŋ˦˥]. Tones: nước — rising tone (sắc), sông — level tone (ngang), không — level tone (ngang), phạm — heavy tone (nặng), nước — rising tone (sắc), giếng — 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.