vị tha

See also: viða

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 爲 (“for”) and 他 (“others”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vi˧˨ʔ tʰaː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vɪj˨˩ʔ tʰaː˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [vɪj˨˩˨ tʰaː˧˧] ~ [jɪj˨˩˨ tʰaː˧˧]

Adjective

vị tha

1. altruistic; unselfish; selfless

   Antonyms: ích kỉ, vị kỉ

   lòng vị tha

   altruism; selflessness

Usage notes

• Since tha can also mean "to forgive", this word can be misconstrued (often humorously) as "tolerant".