trăng hoa

Vietnamese

Etymology

From trăng (“moon”) +‎ hoa (“flower”), calque of Chinese 花月 (hoa nguyệt), as in 風花雪月／风花雪月 (phong hoa tuyết nguyệt, literally “wind, flowers, snow and the moon”). Compare trăng gió.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaŋ˧˧ hwaː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʈaŋ˧˧ hwaː˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʈaŋ˧˧ waː˧˧]

Adjective

trăng hoa

1. philandering

   Synonym: trăng gió

   thói trăng hoa ― philandering disposition

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with thăng hoa.