mẹ tròn con vuông

Vietnamese

Etymology

Perhaps from the ideal shapes of the sky (tròn (“round”)) and the earth (vuông (“squared”)), rooted in some ancient mythologies that purport that the earth is square and the sky is a dome covering it. See also the Legend of bánh chưng and bánh giày.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mɛ˧˨ʔ t͡ɕɔn˨˩ kɔn˧˧ vuəŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mɛ˨˩ʔ ʈɔŋ˦˩ kɔŋ˧˧ vuəŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [mɛ˨˩˨ ʈɔŋ˨˩ kɔŋ˧˧ vuəŋ˧˧] ~ [mɛ˨˩˨ ʈɔŋ˨˩ kɔŋ˧˧ juəŋ˧˧]

Phrase

mẹ tròn con vuông

1. (literal) round mother, squared baby
2. (figurative) you/she (have/has) had a successful delivery, and both you/she and your/her baby are now in good condition