Where does “ngu ngốc” come from?

ngu ngốc (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese ngủ, from Chinese 伍, from Chinese 亻, from Chinese 工.

ngu ngốc (Vietnamese): dull, dull-headed

Definitions

  1. dull, dull-headed

Ancestry of “ngu ngốc”, step by step

ngu ngốc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese ngủ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengủto sleep
2Chinese伍—
3Chinese亻—
4Chinese工—

via Vietnamese ngốc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengốcstupid, naive, foolish
2Chinese呆—
Every word from Chinese 工 →Every word from Chinese 亻 →Every word from Chinese 伍 →