chưng

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cɨŋ˧˧]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 張 (“to set out, to display”, SV: trương). Doublet of trưng and trương.

chưng

1. to show off, to sport

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蒸 (“steam”).

chưng

1. to distill

• chưng cất

In pre-modern writing of a more colloquial nature and original works, chưng was used as a preposition to indicate place and time. However, this particle/preposition was also a literary device widely used in translation of Chinese texts, as a "stand-in" of sort for the Chinese markers 之 (zhī) and 夫 (fú). See Washizawa (2017) for more information.

chưng • (烝, 蒸, 徵)

1. (obsolete) in; on; at
   • late 18th - early 19th century CE, Thi kinh đại toàn tiết yếu diễn nghĩa (詩經大全節要演義) [Explaining the Meanings of the Essentials in the Classic of Poetry], volume IV, translation of 《詩經》 (in Pre-Classical Chinese), page 2b; English translation from James Legge, transl., The She King, or, The Book of Ancient Poetry (The Chinese Classics; Vol. IV, Pt. II), 1871, page 430:

     淬𲆾助祭烝几𢄂茹周

     Rót rượu trợ tế chưng kẻ chợ nhà Chu.

     [original: 祼將于京]

     Assist at the sacrificial libations in the Zhou capital

   • late 17th - early 18th c. CE, Thiên Nam Ngữ Lục Ngoại Kỷ (天南語錄外紀) [Peripheral Records of Excerpts from Thiên Nam], page 63b:

     碎俸蔑𠇮落典蒸低

     Tôi bỗng một mình lạc đến chưng đây.

     I suddenly was left alone, got lost, and ended up at this place.

2. (obsolete) due to; because
   • 古珠法雲佛本行語錄 Cổ Châu Pháp Vân phật bổn hạnh ngữ lục ("Record of what has been said about the origin and deeds of the Cloud Dharma Buddha at Cổ Châu"), Vietnamese translation possibly by Viên Thái 圓態, 1752 version, 4b

     𡛔庄固重麻䐗實時磊意蒸埃

     Gái chẳng có chồng mà chửa, thực thời lỗi ấy chưng ai?

     An unwed girl getting pregnant; verily, because of whose fault?

3. (obsolete, chiefly in translations of Chinese texts) Used as an equivalent to 之, 於/于, 夫, 凡, or 諸.
   1. of (belonging to)

      Synonym: của

      • 父子之綱、又安在㢤。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《新編傳奇漫錄》

        Phụ tử chi cương, hựu an tại tai? [Sino-Vietnamese]

        The bond (relationship) of father and son, where is it now?

      • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 1; 13a

        蒸𦀚吒昆、吏於兠丕台。

        Chưng giềng cha con, lại ở đâu vậy thay?

        The bond (relationship) of father and son, where is it now?

   2. in; at

      Synonym: ở

      • 於十劫中 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《地藏菩薩本願經》

        Ư thập kiếp trung [Sino-Vietnamese]

        Within ten kalpas.

      • Địa Tạng kinh giải thích Hoa ngôn (地蔵經解釋華言 "Explanation of Literary Chinese in the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra"), lower volume (3); 3b

        徵𥪝𨒒劫

        Chưng trong mười kiếp.

        Within ten kalpas.

   3. pronoun; that

      • 若夫、坐如尸、立如齊。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        若夫、坐如尸、立如齐。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: 《禮記》

        Nhược phù, tọa như thi, lập như trai. [Pinyin]

        As for that, if a man is sitting, let him do so as a personator of the deceased; if he be standing, let him do so (reverently), as in sacrificing.

      • Lễ ký đại toàn tiết yếu diễn nghĩa (禮記大全節要演義 "Explanation of the Complete Essentials on the Book of Rites"), volume 1; 5b

        朋烝、𡎥如神尸、𨅸如居斉。

        Bằng chưng, ngồi như thần thây, đứng như cư chay.

        As for that, if a man is sitting, let him do so as a personator of the deceased; if he be standing, let him do so (reverently), as in sacrificing.

   4. altogether

      • 凡四十一章 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

        From: 《論語》

        Phàm tứ thập nhất chương. [Pinyin]

        In total, fourty-one chapters.

      • Tứ thư ước giải Luận ngữ giải quốc âm nghĩa tăng bổ đại toàn bị chỉ (四書約解論語解國音義增補大全備旨 "Concise Explanations of the Four Books: Explanation of the Analects in National Pronunciation with Meanings, Supplementary Additions, and a Complete Compilation of Essential Points."), volume 10; 1a

        蒸𦊚𨒒蔑章

        Chưng bốn mươi mốt chương.

        In total, fourty-one chapters.

   5. onto, upon, into

      • 反求諸己 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        反求诸己 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: 《孟子》

        Phản cầu chư kỷ. [Pinyin]

        Let him turn and self-reflect upon himself.

      • Minh tâm bảo giám thích nghĩa (明心寶鑑釋義 "Explanation of the Mingxin baojian"), 57a

        責吏烝𠇮

        Trách lại chưng mình.

        Let him turn and self-reflect upon himself.

   6. weak demonstrative

      • 潜覬其所為。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《新編傳奇漫錄》

        Tiềm ký kỳ sở vi. [Sino-Vietnamese]

        Secretly looking at what they were doing.

      • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 3; 39b

        耨𥉰蒸所𫜵之。

        Náu dòm chưng thửa làm chi.

        Secretly looking at what they were doing.

In the spoken/colloquial form of pre-modern Vietnamese, at least the compound vì chưng (“because of”) used to enjoy some popular usage, although the presence of chưng as a stand-alone word is much less widespread than in the various giải âm (解音) and giải nghĩa (解義) texts. Note the position of Chinese 之 and Vietnamese chưng in relative to 災 / 灾 (zāi, “disaster”) and "boiling water and fire" in the example below.

13th century (original Chinese), Trần Thái Tông, translated by Khoá hư lục 課虛錄, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

活(hoạt)遭(tao)湯(thang)火(hoả)之(chi)災(tai)

[If one is] to live [again], [they] would be subjected to boiling water and fire.

14th century (giải âm/giải nghĩa), giải nghĩa by Tuệ Tĩnh, Thiền tông khoá hư ngữ lục 禪宗課虛語錄:

群(còn)𤯩(sống)吏(lại)及(gặp)蒸(chưng)災(tai)渃(nước)燶(nóng)共(cùng)焒(lửa)催(thui)

Even [if] one is to be resurrected, [they] would be greeted with boiling water and scorching fire.

For the weak demonstrative sense, chưng is only used to translate 其 whenever 其 is placed close to 所 grammatically. Functions similarly to when chưng is used to translate phù 夫.

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