Where does “kiếm sống” come from?

kiếm sống (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese sống, from Proto-Vietic k-roːŋʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ruŋʔ.

kiếm sống (Vietnamese): to make a living; to earn one's daily bread

Definitions

  1. to make a living; to earn one's daily bread

Ancestry of “kiếm sống”, step by step

kiếm sống traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese sống

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesesốnga spine; to live; living
2Proto-Vietick-roːŋʔback of the blade; alive; raw
3Proto-Mon-Khmerruŋʔ—

via Vietnamese kiếm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekiếma sword; to seek, to search, to find
2Vietnamesetìmto search, to seek, to look for; to find
3Chinese尋—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ruŋʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic k-roːŋʔ →Every word from Vietnamese sống →