thể diện

noun Sino-Vietnamese

Hanoi [tʰe˧˩ ziən˧˨ʔ]Huế [tʰej˧˨ jiəŋ˨˩ʔ]Saigon [tʰej˨˩˦ jiəŋ˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

thểdippinghỏi diệnheavynặng

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

thể diện means face; dignity; honour.

Chinese characters: 體面

Meanings of thể diện in English

Noun

face (as a sociological concept); dignity; honour (generally speaking)
- làm mất thể diện gia đìnhto cause the family to lose face

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 體面.

Frequently asked questions

What does thể diện mean in English?

thể diện (noun) means "face; dignity; honour".

How do you pronounce thể diện?

IPA: Hanoi [tʰe˧˩ ziən˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [tʰej˨˩˦ jiəŋ˨˩˨]. Tones: thể — dipping tone (hỏi), diện — heavy tone (nặng).

Is thể diện a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. thể diện is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 體面.

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.