thôi

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tʰoj˧˧]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 退 (SV: thối, thoái).

For the tonal correspondence, see other post-reconstructed Old Chinese, pre-Middle Chinese loans such as bèn, buôn, chung, cùng, where words with Vietnamese A/bằng tones correspond to Qieyun system tone C/去聲／去声 (qùshēng). Particularly compare đôi (“pair”), which exhibits the exact same correspondence in the rime as with thôi.

• (Internet slang, text messaging) thui

thôi

1. a long while

thôi

1. to stop (forever); to cease; to discontinue; to quit
   • 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 2, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng Publishing House:

     Thấy tôi không muốn nói, bà ta cũng thôi không hỏi.

     Seeing that I didn't want to tell, she also stopped asking.

thôi

1. Used sentence-initially to express a polite negative: that's it; enough

thôi

1. (colloquial, used sentence-finally) that's all; merely; only; just
2. (colloquial, used sentence-initially) introduces a new statement that contradicts previously stated statement(s)

(particle):

• As a particle used initially in sentences, thôi is often used with mà and thì, as mà thôi and thôi thì.
• Also, when used as a sentence-initial particle, the sentence-final particles đi and thôi ("that's all; merely; only") are usually utilized to clarify the quantity mentioned in the new statement compared to the previous statement:

  Thôi cho hai phần đi.

  On second thought, I want to order two portions (I originally ordered just one portion).

  Thôi cho hai phần thôi.

  On second thought, I want to order two portions (I originally ordered three or more portions).

(pronunciation):

• Colloquially, thôi is one of the instances where aspirated stops sometimes shift into just /h/ in Vietnamese, so that thôi is pronounced as hôi. Compare also hông (from không).
• Sometimes deliberately spelled thui to convey informality on the Internet although the word is rarely (if ever) pronounced as such in real life. Compare rùi (from rồi).

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Possibly a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of 褪, not sure though.”)

thôi

1. to discolour