thảo

See also: Thao, tháo, Thảo, and thạo

Vietnamese

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 草. Doublet of tháu.

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰaːw˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰaːw˧˨]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰaːw˨˩˦]
Homophone: Thảo
Audio (Hà Nội): (file)

Noun

(classifier cây) thảo

grasses and herbs

Derived terms

Related terms

cỏ

Verb

thảo

to write, to draft
- 1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Truyện Kiều (傳翹) [The Tale of Kieu], Liễu Văn Ðường edition, published 1866, lines 1313 - 1314:
  生(Sinh)強(càng)𤏣(tỏ)󰞺(nét)強(càng)𠸦(khen)
  寫(Tả)情(tình)𢬣(tay)草(thảo)󰜋(một)天(thiên)律(luật)唐(Đường)
  The young man conceived a great admiration for his sweetheart as he considered her qualities more deeply.
  Unable to keep those sentiments to himself, he improvised and wrote to her a poem in a particular form of Tang prosody.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 操 (“conduct, behaviour”, SV: tháo) or nativized clipping of Middle Chinese 慥慥 (MC tshawH tshawH, “honest, sincere”) (SV: tháo tháo)”

Adjective

thảo • (草, 討)

to be pious, to be generous, to be open-handed, to be devoted, to be virtuous, to be dutiful
- 13th century, Trần Nhân Tông, “Đệ thất hội 第七會 [Seventh]”, in Cư Trần lạc đạo phú 居塵樂道賦 [Living in the Dusty World and Enjoying the Way]:
  義(Nghĩa)矣(hãy)汝(nhớ)道(đạo)莊(chăng)涓(quên)香(hương)花(hoa)供(cúng)娂(xem)群(còn)年(nên)討(thảo)
  When one is mindful of rectitude and forgets not the Way, offered incense and blossoms seem still pious
- Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải (《南交古金里巷歌謠註解》 "Southern Folk-ballads from the Hamlets and Alleys - Annotated and Explained")
  𢄂(Chợ)𬁑(trưa)蒌(rau)㐌(đã)痚(héo)𠫾(đi)
  𥙩(Lấy)夷(gì)敬(kính)媄(mẹ)𥙩(lấy)夷(gì)討(thảo)㛪(em)
  At midday, vegetables in the market already wilted;
  What shall I dutifully offer my mother and generously give my little siblings?
- Lam Giang, Võ Ngọc Nhã (1970) Đặng Đức Tuấn Tinh Hoa Công Giáo Ái Quốc Việt Nam [Đặng Đức Tuấn - A Catholic Vietnamese Patriot's Quintessence], page 503; quoted in “Xuất xứ và ý nghĩa của hai từ ‘lương dân’ – ‘giáo dân’ [The etymologies and meanings of the two words ‘lương dân’ and ‘giáo dân’]”, in nghiencuuquocte.org‎^[[1], 2021
  Xưa những việc chẳng ngay chẳng thảo[,] [đ]ổ Da tô, vu Tả đạo với Dửu dân[.]
  In the past, everything dishonest and impious was blamed on Jesus, Christianity, and Christians.

Derived terms

Anagrams

thoả