Where does “vò đầu bứt tai” come from?

vò đầu bứt tai (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese vô, from Vietnamese vụ, from Chinese 務, from Sino-Tibetan *mow.

vò đầu bứt tai (Vietnamese): to not know how to deal with a complicated problem or affair

Definitions

  1. to not know how to deal with a complicated problem or affair

Ancestry of “vò đầu bứt tai”, step by step

vò đầu bứt tai traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese vô

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesevôto enter; to go into; to toast; emphasizing...
2Vietnamesevụseason; case, affair; specialized department...
3Chinese務—
4Sino-Tibetan*mow—

via Vietnamese đầu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđầuhead; tip; end; beginning; commencement; start
2Middle Chinese頭—

via Vietnamese tại

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetạiat; in; on; because of; due to; because
2Chinese在—
Every word from Sino-Tibetan *mow →Every word from Chinese 務 →Every word from Vietnamese vụ →