bi quan

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 悲觀, composed of 悲 (“sad; compassionate”) and 觀 (“outlook”), from Japanese 悲観 (hikan, literally “sad outlook”), reinterpreted from Buddhist Literary Chinese 悲觀 (bēiguān, literally “compassionate outlook”), mentioned in the Chinese version of the Lotus Sutra together with 慈觀／慈观 (từ quan, literally “benevolent outlook”). See also từ bi and Quan Thế Âm.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓi˧˧ kwaːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧ kwaːŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧ waːŋ˧˧]

Adjective

bi quan

1. pessimistic

   Antonym: lạc quan