Where does “thương nhớ” come from?

thương nhớ (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese thương, from Middle Chinese 商.

thương nhớ (Vietnamese): to miss (someone); to long for; to mourn over

Definitions

  1. to miss (someone); to long for; to mourn over

Ancestry of “thương nhớ”, step by step

thương nhớ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese thương

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesethươnglong-handled spear; lance; injury
2Middle Chinese

via Vietnamese nhỏ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenhỏsmall; little; child; girl
2Proto-Vietick-ɲǝːʔto remember
Every word from Middle Chinese Every word from Vietnamese thương