bốn bể

Vietnamese

Etymology

bốn (“four”) +‎ bể (“sea; ocean”), calque of Chinese 四海 (tứ hải, “four seas”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓon˧˦ ʔɓe˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓoŋ˦˧˥ ʔɓej˧˨]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓoŋ˦˥ ʔɓej˨˩˦]
Audio (Hà Nội) (file)

Noun

the seas around China
(literary, possibly obsolete) the four oceans, the Pacific, the Indian, the Atlantic and the Arctic
(literary) the whole world

Synonyms

bốn biển
tứ hải

See also

năm châu bốn bể

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