Where does “ba chân bốn cẳng” come from?
ba chân bốn cẳng (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese bà, from Chinese 爸, from Chinese 父, from Komodo paʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian əpat, from Proto-Austronesian Səpat — four.
ba chân bốn cẳng (Vietnamese): at full tilt; at maximum speed; in a flash; on the double; like a bat out of hell
Definitions
- at full tilt; at maximum speed; in a flash; on the double; like a bat out of hell
Ancestry of “ba chân bốn cẳng”, step by step
ba chân bốn cẳng traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Vietnamese bà
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | bà | a grandmother; an old woman; an old lady; you, my... |
| 2 | Chinese | 爸 | — |
| 3 | Chinese | 父 | — |
| 4 | Komodo | paʔ | four |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | əpat | four |
| 6 | Proto-Austronesian | Səpat | four |