chỉ

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˦]

• Audio (Hồ Chí Minh City)

  (file)

From Proto-Vietic *cis (“thread”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ks(i)ʔ or *ksih (“string; cord; rope; thread”). Compare North Central Vietnamese chỉn, Muong chỉl.

• (North Central Vietnam) chỉn

(classifier sợi) chỉ • (帋, 黹, 紙, 䊼, 𥿗)

1. (sewing) thread

Sino-Vietnamese word from 只.

chỉ

1. only

From Proto-Vietic *cih (“to point”); probably related to Sino-Vietnamese word from 指 (“finger”).

chỉ • (扯, 扺, 指)

1. to point
   • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Cánh đồng bất tận" chapter 2 (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house

     Chị hỏi "Tắm ở đâu, mấy cưng ?". Tôi chỉ xuống kinh.

     She asked, "Where can I bathe, sweethearts?" I pointed down the canal.

   Synonym: trỏ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 止.

chỉ

1. (in compounds) to stop; to end
2. (in compounds, Buddhism) Samatha; tranquility

Sino-Vietnamese word from 紙 (“paper”).

chỉ

1. (colloquial) Clipping of tín chỉ (“college credit”).

Sino-Vietnamese word from 址.

chỉ

1. (in compounds) site; location

Sino-Vietnamese word from 旨.

chỉ

1. (in compounds) imperial decree; government order

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

chỉ

1. (chiefly gold or silver trading) a weight unit equal to 3.75 grams

Contraction of chị + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

chỉ

1. (Southern Vietnam) she; her

Sino-Vietnamese word from 趾.

chỉ

1. (in compounds) toe

Sino-Vietnamese word from 枳.

chỉ

1. trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata)

Sino-Vietnamese word from 芷.

chỉ

1. (in compounds) angelica; type of iris

Sino-Vietnamese word from 咫.

chỉ

1. Unit of measurement used in the Zhou dynasty

• Obsolete terms: bài chỉ (a tax card under French rule)