Where does “nước non” come from?

nước non (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese nón, from Proto-Vietic k-nɔːn, from Proto-Vietic kɔːn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer kuun — child.

nước non (Vietnamese): rivers and mountains

Definitions

  1. rivers and mountains

Ancestry of “nước non”, step by step

nước non traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese nón

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnamesenónAsian conical hat; hat; cap; helmet
2Proto-Vietick-nɔːn—
3Proto-Vietickɔːnchild
4Proto-Mon-Khmerkuunchild

via Vietnamese nước

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenướcwater; liquid; fluid; the liquid part of a broth
2Proto-Vieticɗaːkwater, liquid
3Proto-Mon-Khmerɗaakwater; liquid; The sense of "river, stream" that...
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer kuun →Every word from Proto-Vietic kɔːn →Every word from Proto-Vietic k-nɔːn →