Where does “ngàn xưa” come from?

ngàn xưa (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese ngắn, from Malay dengan, from Old Malay daṅan, from Proto-Malayic *dəŋan.

ngàn xưa (Vietnamese): from time immemorial; long ago

Definitions

  1. from time immemorial; long ago

Ancestry of “ngàn xưa”, step by step

ngàn xưa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese ngắn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengắnshort, brief
2Malaydenganwith; and; by
3Old Malaydaṅan—
4Proto-Malayic*dəŋan—

via Vietnamese xưa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesexưaold; ancient; a long time ago; old times
2Chinese初—
Every word from Proto-Malayic *dəŋan →Every word from Old Malay daṅan →Every word from Malay dengan →