tỉnh

• t.

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key):
• (Huế) IPA^(key):
• (Saigon) IPA^(key):

Sino-Vietnamese word from 省, from Literary Chinese 省 (“government department; province”). The same classical Chinese word still keeps its original meaning in North Korean 성 (seong) and Japanese 省 (“ministry”). China and South Korea now use 部 (bộ, “ministry”). Japanese prefectures are natively called 県 (ken), which is a cognate to huyện (“suburban district”).

A more regular SV reflex of 省 (MC srjaengX) "province" should be **sảnh; this attested reflex likely arose from confusion with 省 (MC sjengX) "to inspect; to understand; to greet; to visit".

tỉnh

1. one of the highest administrative divisions in Vietnam, translates to English province, opposed to a ung ương; itself is divided into its tỉnh lị/thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh (“provincial capital”) and huyện (“provincial district”)

   tỉnh lẻ ― provinces, as places that are not as developed as thành phố trực thuộc trung ương and therefore more humbling

   dân tỉnh lẻ ― "small town" folks

   tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc ― Vĩnh Phúc Province

   lệnh của tỉnh đưa về xã ― a decree handed down to the commune from the province

   Họ Hồ có nguồn gốc từ làng Quỳnh Đôi, xã Quỳnh Đôi, huyện Quỳnh Đôi, tỉnh Nghệ An.

   The Hồ clan hails from Quỳnh Đôi village, Quỳnh Đôi commune, Quỳnh Đôi district, Nghệ An province.

2. an administrative division that translates to English province in other countries

   tỉnh Hồ Bắc ― Hubei Province

3. an administrative division that translates to English prefecture, for example in French or Japanese territories

   tỉnh Gifu ― Gifu Prefecture

4. (metonymically) provincial capital

   lên tỉnh mua hàng ― going into town to buy goods

Tỉnh is the usual term for "province", especially for provinces within a unitary state. Tỉnh bang is used to refer to the confederated provinces of Canada.

• (province): tỉnh bang
• (provincial capital): tỉnh lỵ, tỉnh lị

• bang; huyện; quận; tiểu bang

Sino-Vietnamese word from 醒 (“to awake”).

tỉnh

1. (intransitive) to be alert, to be conscious

   Sốt nhiều nhưng vẫn tỉnh.

   Running a high fever but still alert.

   tỉnh lại ― to regain consciousness, to regain mental clarity, to come to one's senses

2. (intransitive) to awaken
   • 1820, Nguyễn Du, Truyện Kiều [The Tale of Kiều]:

     Tỉnh ra mới biết là mình chiêm bao

     It was when I woke up did I know I had been dreaming

3. (intransitive) to sober up
4. to remain unconcerned or unfazed

   tỉnh như sáo ― to be completely unfazed

• (to be alert): sáng suốt
• (to awaken): thức dậy, ngủ dậy
• (to sober up): tỉnh rượu

• tỉnh táo (“to be alert”) (reduplication)
• tỉnh rượu (“to sober up”)

• "tỉnh" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)