Where does “khoẻ như voi” come from?

khoẻ như voi (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese vôi, from Proto-Vietic k-puːr, from Proto-Mon-Khmer knpur — lime.

khoẻ như voi (Vietnamese): very healthy and strong

Definitions

  1. very healthy and strong

Ancestry of “khoẻ như voi”, step by step

khoẻ như voi traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese vôi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesevôilime
2Proto-Vietick-puːrlime
3Proto-Mon-Khmerknpurlime

via Vietnamese như

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenhưlike; as
2Middle Chinese如—

via Vietnamese khoẻ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekhoẻstrong; healthy
2Chinese誇—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer knpur →Every word from Proto-Vietic k-puːr →Every word from Vietnamese vôi →