Where does “kêu cứu” come from?

kêu cứu (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese cứu, from Chinese 救.

kêu cứu (Vietnamese): to call for help; to shout for help

Definitions

  1. to call for help; to shout for help

Ancestry of “kêu cứu”, step by step

kêu cứu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese cứu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesecứuto save, to rescue, to relieve
2Chinese救—

via Vietnamese kêu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekêuto call, to cry; call
2Proto-Vietickeːwto call
Every word from Chinese 救 →Every word from Vietnamese cứu →