thạch sùng
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
- thạch thùng (/s-/ ~ /tʰ/ correspondance)
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 石崇, from Chinese 石崇 (Shí Chóng), a character from a folktale who died, turned into a house gecko and always tsked over his loss of fortune (which was likened to the way house geckos cry), and was based on a historical figure of the Jin dynasty.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tʰajk̟̚˧˨ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [tʰat̚˨˩ʔ ʂʊwŋ͡m˦˩] ~ [tʰat̚˨˩ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˦˩]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [tʰat̚˨˩˨ ʂʊwŋ͡m˨˩] ~ [tʰat̚˨˩˨ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]
Noun
- (Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) common house gecko
- Synonyms: thằn lằn, chanh chách, mối rách, móc rách, búa lách, muối tách