Where does “tí xíu” come from?

tí xíu (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese tí, from Middle Chinese 子, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsəʔ — child, son, offspring; grandson; relatives; nephew/niece.

tí xíu (Vietnamese): very little

Definitions

  1. very little

Ancestry of “tí xíu”, step by step

tí xíu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese tí

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetíbreast; a little bit; tiny; small
2Middle Chinese子—
3Proto-Sino-Tibetan*tsəʔchild, son, offspring; grandson; relatives; nephew/niece

via Vietnamese xíu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesexíutiny
2Cantonese小little
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsəʔ →Every word from Middle Chinese 子 →Every word from Vietnamese tí →
tí xíu — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer