kính

See also: kinh, kình, and kỉnh

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from (“mirror”). Doublet of gương.

Alternative forms

Noun

kính

  1. glass
    • 1970, Phạm, Tiến Duật, “Bài thơ về tiểu đội xe không kính [A Poem about the Windshieldless Squad]”, in Vầng trăng quầng lửa [A Fiery-Haloed Moon]:
      Không có kính không phải vì xe không có kính,
      Bom giật, bom rung kính vỡ đi rồi.
      Ung dung buồng lái ta ngồi,
      Nhìn đất, nhìn trời, nhìn thẳng.
      Those windshieldless trucks didn't come without windshields,
      They're not there 'cause of bombardment shockwaves.
      Calmly, we sit in the driver's seat
      As we look at the ground, at the sky, and straight ahead.

Noun

(classifier cái) kính

  1. eyeglasses
  2. (colloquial, chiefly in Southern Vietnam) a mirror
Usage notes
  • Some people also say cặp kính which is akin to the English expression "pair of glasses".
Synonyms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from (“to respect”).

Verb

kính

  1. (rare, chiefly in set phrases) to respect
    kính trên nhường dưới
    to respect the elderly and consider the young
See also

Prefix

kính

  1. (honorific, before verbs) respectfully; cordially
    Kính chào quý khách.
    Greetings.
    Kính mời ngài đến dự tiệc cưới của con chúng tôi.
    You are cordially invited to our children's wedding.
    Kính chúc ông bà mạnh khoẻ, sống lâu.
    We wish you good health and a long life.
Derived terms
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.