giang hồ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 江湖 (“rivers and lakes”). In older texts, mostly used to describe the lives of people who didn't or couldn't settle for a home, but wandered around the country. The "outlaw" sense is popularized by Chinese wuxia soap operas, which frequently emphasize the lawlessness and cruelty of the martial arts world in feudal-China settings.

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zaːŋ˧˧ ho˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [jaːŋ˧˧ how˦˩]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jaːŋ˧˧ how˨˩]

Adjective

giang hồ

like an outlaw; pertaining to outlaws
giới giang hồ ― the world of outlaws

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