thanh mai trúc mã

== Vietnamese == === Etymology === Sino-Vietnamese word from 青梅竹馬 (“green plums and bamboo horse”), from Chinese 青梅竹馬 / 青梅竹马 (qīngméizhúmǎ). Compare Japanese 竹馬の友 (chikuba no tomo, “childhood friend”, literally “bamboo horse friend”). === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tʰajŋ̟˧˧ maːj˧˧ t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦ maː˦ˀ˥] (Huế) IPA(key): [tʰɛɲ˧˧ maːj˧˧ ʈʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥ maː˧˨] (Saigon) IPA(key): [tʰan˧˧ maːj˧˧ ʈʊwk͡p̚˦˥ maː˨˩˦] === Adjective === thanh mai trúc mã (chiefly fiction) alluding to the notion of being a childhood friend of the opposite sex to someone and growing to be in love with them or vice-versa