chưng

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cɨŋ˧˧]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 張 (“to set out, to display”, SV: trương). Doublet of trưng and trương.

chưng

1. to show off, to sport

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蒸 (“steam”).

chưng

1. to distill

• chưng cất

In pre-modern writing of a more colloquial nature and original works, chưng was used as a preposition to indicate place and time. However, this particle/preposition was also a literary device widely used in translation of Chinese texts, as a "stand-in" of sort for the Chinese markers 之 (zhī) and 夫 (fú). See Washizawa (2017) for more information.

chưng • (烝, 蒸, 徵, 𳃬)

1. (obsolete) in; on; at
   • late 17th - early 18th c. CE, Thiên Nam Ngữ Lục Ngoại Kỷ (天南語錄外紀) [Peripheral Records of Excerpts from Thiên Nam], page 63b:

     碎俸蔑𠇮落典蒸低

     Tôi bỗng một mình lạc đến chưng đây.

     I suddenly was left alone, got lost, and ended up at this place.

2. (obsolete) due to; because
   • Nguyễn Đường gia phả tự (阮堂家譜序 "Preface to the Nguyễn Đường Genealogy"), 2a

     嘗𦖑：滝𨱽𣷭𢌌，𪽝蒸𤂬瀋源溇

     Thường nghe, sông dài bể rộng, bởi chưng suối thẳm nguồn sâu.

     It is said that: rivers are long and oceans are wide, this is because the stream is far-reaching and the source is deep.

3. (obsolete, chiefly in translations of Chinese texts) Used as an equivalent to 之, 於/于, 夫, 凡, or 諸.
   1. of (belonging to)

      Synonym: của

      • 父子之綱、又安在㢤。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《新編傳奇漫錄》

        Phụ tử chi cương, hựu an tại tai? [Sino-Vietnamese]

        The bond (relationship) of father and son, where is it now?

      • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 1; 13a

        蒸𦀚吒昆、吏於兠丕台。

        Chưng giềng cha con, lại ở đâu vậy thay?

        The bond (relationship) of father and son, where is it now?

   2. in; at

      Synonym: ở

      • 於十劫中 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《地藏菩薩本願經》

        Ư thập kiếp trung [Sino-Vietnamese]

        Within ten kalpas.

      • Địa Tạng kinh giải thích Hoa ngôn (地蔵經解釋華言 "Explanation of Literary Chinese in the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra"), lower volume (3); 3b

        徵𥪝𨒒劫

        Chưng trong mười kiếp.

        Within ten kalpas.

   3. pronoun; that

      • 若夫天曹之遊，其有其無，何必深辨。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《新編傳奇漫錄》

        Nhược phù thiên tào chi du, kỳ hữu kỳ vô, hà tất thâm biện? [Sino-Vietnamese]

        As for that [matter], [going up to] play in the celestial office, whether it exists or does not exist, why one must dispute deeply about that?

      • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 2; 78a

        朋烝制准天曹，所固所空，牢乙瀋盤泊。

        Bằng chưng chơi chốn thiên tào, thửa có thửa không, sao ắt thẳm bàn bạc?

        As for that [matter], [going up to] play in the celestial office, whether it exists or does not exist, why one must discuss this so deeply?

   4. sentence-initial particle

      • 夫政也者，蒲盧也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        夫政也者，蒲卢也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

        Phù chính dã giả, bồ lô dã. [Pinyin]

        Moreover, their government might be called an easily-growing rush.

      • 1839, Tứ thư ước giải Trung Dung giải quốc âm nghĩa tăng bổ đại toàn bị chỉ (四書約解中庸解國音義增補大全備旨 "Concise Explanations of the Four Books: Explanation of the Doctrine of the Mean in National Pronunciation with Meanings, Supplementary Additions, and a Complete Compilation of Essential Points."), volume 2; 17a

        蒸政意丕，易𢧚如𣘃蒲盧丕。

        Chưng chính ấy vậy, dễ nên như cây bồ lô vậy.

        Oh, that government indeed, [it] easily grows like the reeds.

   5. altogether

      • 凡四十一章 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

        From: 《論語》

        Phàm tứ thập nhất chương. [Pinyin]

        In total, forty-one chapters.

      • Tứ thư ước giải Luận ngữ giải quốc âm nghĩa tăng bổ đại toàn bị chỉ (四書約解論語解國音義增補大全備旨 "Concise Explanations of the Four Books: Explanation of the Analects in National Pronunciation with Meanings, Supplementary Additions, and a Complete Compilation of Essential Points."), volume 10; 1a

        蒸𦊚𨒒蔑章

        Chưng bốn mươi mốt chương.

        In total, forty-one chapters.

   6. onto, upon, into

      • 反求諸己 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        反求诸己 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: 《孟子》

        Phản cầu chư kỷ. [Pinyin]

        Let him turn and self-reflect upon himself.

      • Minh tâm bảo giám thích nghĩa (明心寶鑑釋義 "Explanation of the Mingxin baojian"), 57a

        責吏烝𠇮

        Trách lại chưng mình.

        Let him turn and self-reflect upon himself.

   7. weak demonstrative

      • 潜覬其所為。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《新編傳奇漫錄》

        Tiềm ký kỳ sở vi. [Sino-Vietnamese]

        Secretly looking at what they were doing.

      • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 3; 39b

        耨𥉰蒸所𫜵之。

        Náu dòm chưng thửa làm chi.

        Secretly looking at what they were doing.

In the spoken/colloquial form of pre-modern Vietnamese, at least the compound vì chưng (“because of”) used to enjoy some popular usage, although the presence of chưng as a stand-alone word is much less widespread than in the various giải âm (解音) and giải nghĩa (解義) texts. Note the position of Chinese 之 and Vietnamese chưng in relative to 災 / 灾 (zāi, “disaster”) and "boiling water and fire" in the example below.

活遭湯火之灾 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

From: Thái Tông hoàng đế ngự chế khoá hư lục 《太宗皇帝御製課虛録》

Hoạt tao thang hoả chi tai [Sino-Vietnamese]

[If one is] to live [again], [they] would be subjected to boiling water and fire.

Tuệ Tĩnh, a giải nghĩa (觧義) translation of Thái Tông hoàng đế ngự chế khoá hư lục (太宗皇帝御製課虛録, upper volume; page 23a)

群𤯩吏及蒸灾渃燶共焒催

Còn sống lại gặp chưng tai nước nóng cùng lửa thui

Even [if] one is to be resurrected, [they] would be greeted with boiling water and scorching fire.

The usage of using chưng to translate phù 夫 (initial particle) most likely stems from its pronoun meaning.

For the weak demonstrative sense, chưng is only used to translate 其 whenever 其 is placed close to 所 grammatically. Functions similarly to when chưng is used to translate phù 夫.

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