Where does “ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại” come from?

ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese lại, from Chinese 賴, from English line, from Middle English line, from Old English līne, from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic līnǭ, from Proto-Germanic līną — flax.

ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại (Vietnamese): Describes time passing in a flash

Definitions

  1. Describes time passing in a flash

Ancestry of “ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại”, step by step

ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese lại

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameselạiagain; on the other hand, meanwhile; to come
2Chinese
3EnglishlineA path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight
4Middle Englishlinerope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,...
5Old Englishlīneline, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,...
6Proto-West Germanic*līnāline, chord, rope, string
7Proto-Germaniclīnǭthat which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,...
8Proto-Germaniclīnąflax
9Proto-Indo-Europeanlīno-flax

via Vietnamese đi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđito go; to wear footwear; used sentence-finally to...
2Proto-Vietictiːto go

via Vietnamese ngoảnh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengoảnhto turn one's head; to turn around
Every word from Proto-Indo-European līno-Every word from Proto-Germanic līnąEvery word from Proto-Germanic līnǭ