Where does “đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm” come from?

đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese thơm, from Proto-Vietic tʰəːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer dhum.

đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm (Vietnamese): One must remain decent and honorable in spite of hardship

Definitions

  1. One must remain decent and honorable in spite of hardship

Ancestry of “đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm”, step by step

đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese thơm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesethơmfragrant, sweet-smelling; of a pleasant aroma; a...
2Proto-Vietictʰəːmfragrant
3Proto-Mon-Khmerdhum—

via Vietnamese chó

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechóa dog; a bitch
2Proto-Vieticʔa-cɔːʔdog
3Proto-Mon-Khmercɔʔdog

via Vietnamese sạch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesesạchclean; completely; entirely; utterly
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer dhum →Every word from Proto-Vietic tʰəːm →Every word from Vietnamese thơm →