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tay trắng

noun
Hanoi [taj˧˧ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]Huế [taj˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [ta(ː)j˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

Classifier: bàn — e.g. một bàn tay trắng

Meanings of tay trắng in English

Noun

  1. in the dual the state of having no money
    • Ông gây dựng cơ nghiệp này bằng hai bàn tay trắng.He built this business with his bare hands.
    • Hắn suốt ngày đàn đúm rượu chè, cờ bạc, giờ chỉ còn lại hai bàn tay trắng.He always indulged in alcoholism and gambling, and he wound up empty-handed
    • Tay trắng vẫn hoàn tay trắng.Empty-handed then, empty-handed now.

Etymology

tay (“hand”) + trắng (“white; bare”).

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce tay trắng?

IPA: Hanoi [taj˧˧ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]; Saigon [ta(ː)j˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˥]. Tones: tay — level tone (ngang), trắng — rising tone (sắc).

What classifier is used with tay trắng?

Common classifiers: bàn — for example "một bàn tay trắng" (one tay trắng).

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.