đinh ninh

Vietnamese

Etymology

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 叮嚀.

    Pronunciation

    • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɗïŋ˧˧ nïŋ˧˧]
    • (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɗɨn˧˧ nɨn˧˧]
    • (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɗɨn˧˧ nɨn˧˧]

    Verb

    đinh ninh

    1. (dated or literary) to harp on about; to belabour
      đinh ninh lời Bác/Ngườito mark His words
    2. to be certain/positive
      Hắn đinh ninh rằng trong nhà không còn ai.
      He was positive no one was home.