Where does “khó xử” come from?

khó xử (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese xứ, from French sou, from Latin solidus, from Proto-Italic soliðos, from Proto-Indo-European solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s, from Proto-Indo-European solh₂- — whole.

khó xử (Vietnamese): difficult to deal with; between a rock and a hard place

Definitions

  1. difficult to deal with; between a rock and a hard place

Ancestry of “khó xử”, step by step

khó xử traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese xứ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesexứa land
2Frenchsousou; money; cash; cent
3Latinsolidussolid; A solidus: a Roman ~23-carat gold coin...
4Proto-Italicsoliðos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-i-dʰ-o-sentire
6Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-whole

via Vietnamese khó

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekhódifficult; tough; hard to get along with; hard to...
2Chinese庫—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European solh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s →Every word from Proto-Italic soliðos →