tiên sinh

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 先生, composed of 先 (“fore-”) and 生 (“born”).

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tiən˧˧ sïŋ˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [tiəŋ˧˧ sɨn˧˧]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [tiəŋ˧˧ sɨn˧˧]

Noun

tiên sinh

  1. (Chinese fiction) you, a senior or knowledgeable person

Usage notes

  • Currently only used in period or wuxia dramas or to refer to certain historical figures. The modern sense of the Chinese 先生 (xiānshēng, “Mr.”) is simply expressed with ông, hence "ông Dương" rather than *"Dương tiên sinh".

See also

  • hậu sinh
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