nghỉ

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋɪj˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋɪj˨˩˦]

The earlier meaning is "easy", as seen in Hồng Đức quốc âm thi tập (洪德國音詩集, 15th century) and Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The current meaning "to rest, to take a break" probably developed from "to take it easy".

nghỉ • (𢪀, 𠉝, 擬, 己, 忋, 𱎢, 𲻇)

1. to take a break
2. to get to temporarily leave work (e.g., for holiday/vacation, for pregnancy, etc.)

   kì nghỉ ― holiday period

3. (figurative, euphemistic) to die

nghỉ • (𠉝)

1. (archaic, literary) he; him
   • Late 17th - early 18th century, anonymous, Thiên Nam ngữ lục ngoại kỷ (Peripheral Records in the Language of the Southern Sky), folio 67b

     兵(Binh)權(quyền)默(mặc)𱎢(nghỉ)冲(trong)外(ngoài)
     腰(Yêu)埃(ai)時(thì)拮(cất)𢢂(ghét)埃(ai)時(thì)𢸝(dìm)

     He was granted military command and left alone to promote whomever he liked and hinder whomever he hated.

2. (archaic, literary) she; her

nghỉ

1. (obsolete) (before verb) by oneself
   • Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註 "Newly Edited Collection of Truyền kỳ mạn lục with Supplemented Annotations, Phonetic Explanations, and Collected Notes"), volume 4; 56b

     𢚸些擬虎。

     Lòng ta nghỉ hổ.

     My heart is ashamed of itself.