sãi
noun
Hanoi [saːj˦ˀ˥]Huế [ʂaːj˧˨]Saigon [ʂaːj˨˩˦] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
sãi means Buddhist monk; bonze.
Meanings of sãi in English
Noun
- Buddhist monk, bonze
- sãi chùaBuddhist monk
Noun
- Buddhist temple's warden
- Lắm / Nhiều sãi không ai đóng cửa chùa.Everybody's business is nobody's business (literally, “[There are] many wardens [yet] none closes the temple's door”).
- obsolete Buddhist temple's warden — warden, caretaker (in general)
- sãi nhà thờchurch's warden
- sãi mõwooden fish striker, temple block striker
- sãi đòpilot, riverboatman, ferryman
- abbreviation, obsolete Buddhist temple's warden — short for sãi đò (“pilot, riverboatman, ferryman (possibly obsolete)”)
Example sentences with sãi
- Con vua thì lại làm vua. Con sãi ở chùa thì quét lá đa. Like father, like son.
Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).
Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)
Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, sãi could be written as 𪧸. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Clipping of sãi chùa, which came to mean "Buddhist temple's lay warden" from earlier "Buddhist temple's ordained monk".
Frequently asked questions
What does sãi mean in English?
sãi (noun) means "Buddhist monk; bonze".
How do you pronounce sãi?
IPA: Hanoi [saːj˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [ʂaːj˨˩˦]. Tones: sãi — creaky rising tone (ngã).