Where does “kìm nén” come from?

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

kìm nén (Vietnamese): to repress emotions, thoughts, needs, desires, etc. of oneself

Definitions

  1. to repress emotions, thoughts, needs, desires, etc. of oneself

Ancestry of “kìm nén”, step by step

kìm nén 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 nén

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenénto press; to compress; to squeeze; to repress; to...
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan gǝ̆m →Every word from Chinese 金 →Every word from Vietnamese kìm →