thừa

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰɨə˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰɨə˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tʰɨə˨˩]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 剩 (“left over”; SV: thặng). The reading fails to retain the final consonant in Middle Chinese 剩 (zying^H), which seems to be unique to Vietnamese (compare Mandarin 剩 (shèng), Cantonese 剩 (sing⁶, zing⁶), Japanese じょう (jō)). The one that does, thặng, only occurs in the word thặng dư. This failure to retain the final consonant also occurs for thừa#Etymology 2 below, and for the name of the Chinese author 吳承恩 (Wú Chéng'ēn, Ngô Thừa Ân).

Haudricourt (1954) suggested that thừa is a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 餘 (“left over, extra”; SV: dư).[1]

thừa

1. left over; superfluous

   Synonym: dư

thừa

1. (only in fixed expressions) more than necessarily said

   thừa biết

   to know fully well; to be fully aware; to be the first one to acknowledge; to know, of all people

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 乘 (SV: thặng).

thừa

1. (only in fixed expressions) to take advantage of (an opportunity); to utilise; to avail oneself of

   thừa cơ

   to take one's chance; to take advantage of the current situation

   thừa thế

   to take advantage of the current situation

   thừa thắng

   to victoriously charge onward