Where does “ngoài cuộc” come from?

ngoài cuộc (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese cuộc, from Chinese 局, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kəwk — to bend.

ngoài cuộc (Vietnamese): outside

Definitions

  1. outside

Ancestry of “ngoài cuộc”, step by step

ngoài cuộc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese cuộc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesecuộcany large-scale, periodic event, such as a...
2Chinese局—
3Proto-Sino-Tibetan*kəwkto bend

via Vietnamese ngoài

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengoàioutside, exterior; outside, out of; in, inside
2Middle Chinese外—
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kəwk →Every word from Chinese 局 →Every word from Vietnamese cuộc →