dưỡng khí

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 氧氣, composed of (oxygen) and (gas). The Chinese character (dưỡng) is composed of (khí, chemical radical for "gassy" elements) +  / (dưỡng, to nurture), due to the life-sustaining attribute of oxygen.

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [zɨəŋ˦ˀ˥ xi˧˦]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [jɨəŋ˧˨ kʰɪj˨˩˦] ~ [jɨəŋ˧˨ xɪj˨˩˦]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [jɨəŋ˨˩˦ kʰɪj˦˥] ~ [jɨəŋ˨˩˦ xɪj˦˥]

Noun

dưỡng khí

  1. (dated) oxygen (molecular oxygen)
    Synonym: khí oxi

Usage notes

  • The word is dated on its own, but it is still frequently used in some contexts and compounds, such as bình dưỡng khí (scuba).

See also