cù lao

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Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Of Austronesian origin, compare Eastern Cham ꨚꨯꨤꨱ (palau, “island”), Malay pulau, Tagalog pulo.

Noun

(classifier hòn, cái) cù lao

  1. river island, ait
  2. small island, islet
    • 1881, Trương Vĩnh Ký, Chuyến đi Bắc-kỳ năm Ất-hợi (1876):
      Ngoài cửa có cái hồ Hoàn-gươm rộng lớn; giữa hồ lại có cái cù-lao nho-nhỏ có cất cái miễu Ngọc-sơn, cây cối im-rợp huyền vũ coi tươi-tốt. Nhà thiên hạ, phố-xá ở bao lấy miệng hồ.
      Just outside the temple's gate is the large Lake Hoàn-gươm; in the middle of the lake there is an islet on which built a small temple called Ngọc-sơn, where vegetation grows lush under the eyes of the Black Tortoise. Houses and streets surround the lake.

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 劬勞

Noun

cù lao

  1. (obsolete) labor, toil, drudgery
    • Anonymous, included in 1999, Mã Giang Lân (compiler), Tục ngữ và ca dao Việt Nam (Vietnamese proverbs and folk-ballads), NXB Giáo dục (Vietnam Education Publishing House), 5th edition
      Bớt đồng thì bớt cù lao,
      Bớt ăn, bớt uống thì tao bớt làm.
      Less pay, then less toil;
      Less food, less water, then less I'll work.
    • 15th century, Nguyễn Trãi (attributed), Gia huấn ca (Family Training Ode), lines 99-100
      Cù lao đội đức cao dày,
      Phải lo hiếu kính đêm ngày khăng khăng!
      Uphold (your parents') lofty, weighty, virtuous toils!
      Be steadfastly filial and reverent (towards them) night and day!
Usage notes

Sino-Vietnamese cù lao meaning "toil" is now only found in idioms cù lao chín chữ or chín chữ cù lao (“nine characters for (parents') toils”)

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