Where does “biết điều” come from?

biết điều (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese điều, from Middle Chinese 條.

biết điều (Vietnamese): to maintain propriety; to understand one’s obligations

Definitions

  1. to maintain propriety; to understand one’s obligations

Ancestry of “biết điều”, step by step

biết điều traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese điều

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđiềuword; sentence; pretext
2Middle Chinese條—

via Vietnamese biết

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebiếtto know; to be aware of; to learn about; to...
Every word from Middle Chinese 條 →Every word from Vietnamese điều →