Where does “hèn hạ” come from?

hèn hạ (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese Hạ, from Proto-Vietic haːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer haʔ — to open mouth.

hèn hạ (Vietnamese): vile; base; mean; despicable

Definitions

  1. vile; base; mean; despicable

Ancestry of “hèn hạ”, step by step

hèn hạ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese Hạ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnameseHạthe Xia dynasty
2Proto-Vietichaːʔ—
3Proto-Mon-Khmerhaʔto open mouth

via Vietnamese hẹn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesehẹnto make an appointment; to arrange or promise;...
2Proto-Taiʰɲelᴬcivet cat; civet
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer haʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic haːʔ →Every word from Vietnamese Hạ →