dưỡng khí

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 氧氣, composed of 氧 (“oxygen”) and 氣 (“gas”). The Chinese character 氧 (dưỡng) is composed of 气 (khí, chemical radical for "gassy" elements) + 養 / 养 (dưỡng, “to nurture”), due to the life-sustaining attribute of oxygen.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zɨəŋ˦ˀ˥ xi˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jɨəŋ˧˨ kʰɪj˨˩˦] ~ [jɨəŋ˧˨ xɪj˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [jɨəŋ˨˩˦ kʰɪj˦˥] ~ [jɨəŋ˨˩˦ xɪj˦˥]

Noun

dưỡng khí

1. (dated) oxygen (molecular oxygen)

   Synonym: khí oxi

Usage notes

• The word is dated on its own, but it is still frequently used in some contexts and compounds, such as bình dưỡng khí (“scuba”).

See also

• thán khí
• khinh khí