ba chìm bảy nổi

== Vietnamese == === Alternative forms === bảy nổi ba chìm === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ t͡ɕim˨˩ ʔɓaj˧˩ noj˧˩] (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ t͡ɕim˦˩ ʔɓaj˧˨ noj˧˨] (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ cim˨˩ ʔɓa(ː)j˨˩˦ noj˨˩˦] === Adjective === ba chìm bảy nổi (literal) sunk down three times, floated up seven times (figurative, of people or their lives) adrift or unstable, full of struggling Hồ Xuân Hương, Bánh trôi nước [Floating Cake] === See also === lên voi xuống chó