Where does “chuồn chuồn kim” come from?

chuồn chuồn kim (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese kìm, from Chinese 金, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan gǝ̆m — metal.

chuồn chuồn kim (Vietnamese): damselfly

Definitions

  1. damselfly

Ancestry of “chuồn chuồn kim”, step by step

chuồn chuồn kim traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese kìm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekìmpincers, clamp
2Chinese金gold; "orig." gold, golden
3Proto-Sino-Tibetangǝ̆mmetal

via Vietnamese chuồn chuồn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechuồn chuồndragonfly
2Vietnamesechuồnto blow (to leave), to decamp, to get out, to escape
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan gǝ̆m →Every word from Chinese 金 →Every word from Vietnamese kìm →