Vietnamese Etymology Sino-Vietnamese word from 小巧, composed of 小 (“small; petty”) and 巧 (“skill; cunning”). Pronunciation (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tiəw˧˩ saːw˧˩] (Huế) IPA(key): [tiw˧˨ saːw˧˨] (Saigon) IPA(key): [tiw˨˩˦ saːw˨˩˦] Noun tiểu xảo a trick; cheat; deceptive act (especially in sports) (archaic) a petty skill; minor talent Adjective tiểu xảo tricky; cunning; deceptiveWikiwand - on Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.