Where does “bán sống bán chết” come from?

bán sống bán chết (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chết, from Proto-Vietic k-ceːt, from Proto-Austroasiatic *kceːt — to die.

bán sống bán chết (Vietnamese): in a dire situation that puts your endurance to the test

Definitions

  1. in a dire situation that puts your endurance to the test

Ancestry of “bán sống bán chết”, step by step

bán sống bán chết traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese chết

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechếtto die; dead
2Proto-Vietick-ceːtto die
3Proto-Austroasiatic*kceːtto die

via Vietnamese sống

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesesốnga spine; to live; living
2Proto-Vietick-roːŋʔback of the blade; alive; raw
3Proto-Mon-Khmerruŋʔ—
Every word from Proto-Austroasiatic *kceːt →Every word from Proto-Vietic k-ceːt →Every word from Vietnamese chết →