The phrase “đòi một” makes it difficult for those who study and compile the Truyện Kiều (the Tale of Kieu), resulting in sometimes a vague and unspecific interpretation. According to the Truyền kì mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (Collection of Chuanqi Tales Randomly Recorded with Supplementary Annotations and Nôm Transliterations) dated in the 16th – 17th centuries, “đòi một” is translated from the phrase 獨步 (Dúbù or độc bộ as written in Vietnamese) in Literary Sinitic, of which 獨 (dú) is translated as “một” (alone) and 步 (bù) as “đòi” (. “to step”, “to go”, or “to accompany” as per its meaning in the compound “theo đòi”). | Tracing Origin of Phrase “đòi một” in Nguyen Du’s Tale of Kieu Nguyen Tuan Cuong1 1 Institute of Sino-Nom Studies, Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences. Email: cuonghannom@ Received: 18 May 2017. Accepted: 4 July 2017. Abstract: The phrase “đòi một” makes it difficult for those who study and compile the Truyện Kiều (the Tale of Kieu), resulting in sometimes a vague and unspecific interpretation. According to the Truyền kì mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (Collection of Chuanqi Tales Randomly Recorded with Supplementary Annotations and Nôm Transliterations) dated in the 16th – 17th centuries, “đòi một” is translated from the phrase 獨步 (Dúbù or độc bộ as written in Vietnamese) in Literary Sinitic, of which 獨 (dú) is translated as “một” (alone) and 步 (bù) as “đòi” (. “to step”, “to go”, or “to accompany” as per its meaning in the compound “theo đòi”). At that time, “đòi một” means “to go alone” in the literal sense, but it has also a derivative sense, which is “nobody can catch up with” or “nobody can be compared with”. The phrase “đòi một” started to be used in Vietnamese language not later than in the 16th or 17th century and was used again by Nguyen Du in the Tale of Kieu. Furthermore, “đòi” means the same as “đuổi”, as they share a common etymon, which is 追 (zhui/truy; . to pursue or to chase) in Literary Sinitic. Keywords: Nguyen Du, Truyện Kiều (Tale of Kieu), đòi một, etymon, etymology. Subject classification: Linguistics 1. Introduction Nguyen Du‟s Truyện Kiều, or the Tale of Kieu, is recognised as a masterpiece in Vietnamese literature. It has achieved the pinnacle in various aspects, such as the use of Vietnamese language, the charitable content, and the poetic art, etc. In spite of being imbued deeply with the Vietnamese native characteristics, the masterpiece is undeniably influenced by “Kim Vân Kiều truyện” (金雲翹傳, the Tale of Jin, Yun and Qiao) by Qingxin Cairen (青心才人, literally “Talented Scholar of Green Heart”) in terms of plot. .
