ế

• ê, e — nonstandard

ế (ê², Zhuyin ㄝˊ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 欸
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 誒／诶
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 㗒

• 《汉语拼音方案》 (Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet) defines a standard pronunciation for each letter in Hanyu Pinyin with Zhuyin. ㄝ (/⁠ɛ⁠/) typically only occurs in syllables with an initial glide (e.g. ㄧㄝ (-ie /⁠i̯ɛ⁠/)), where it is romanized as e. When it occurs in syllables without an initial glide, however, it is romanized as ê in order to distinguish it from ㄜ (-e /⁠ɤ⁠/). Such instances are rare, and are only found in interjections or neologisms.

Cognate with Muong ể.

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔe˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔej˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔej˦˥]

ế (upper case Ế)

1. The letter ê in sắc tone

ế • (饐, 噎)

1. (of goods, shop, or restaurant) unmarketable; unsalable; unable to find customers; sluggish
2. (colloquial, of people) past the usual age for marriage but still unmarried or single; on the shelf

   ế chồng ― (of a woman) to be on the shelf

   • 2017 Dec, Bạn muốn hẹn hò (Tập 338)

     cũng có thể đó là lý do mà em ế tới giờ

     Maybe that's the reason I'm still single

   • 2017 Dec, “Chăm đi đám cưới chính là cách giúp nhiều bạn trẻ thoát ế thành công”, in Trí Thức Trẻ‎:

     Nhiều bạn trẻ thường rỉ tai nhau rằng muốn nhanh thoát ế, thì cứ siêng đi đám cưới, tiệc tùng vào.

     Many young people often tell each other that the way to quickly say goodbye to singledom is to keep going to weddings and parties.