Why do people say "dirt poor"?

Scholar An Chi explains that the idiom "nghèo rớt mồng tơi" (literally "poor to the point of being utterly destitute") was created from a humorous combination of words in the Vietnamese language.

According to An Chi's *Eastern Stories , Western Stories*, the "mồng tơi" in the idiom refers to the familiar spinach used in soups. This plant is characterized by its high mucilaginous content, which is commonly known as "nhớt," "dớt," or "rớt."

He argued that the idiom was formed from the combination of two separate phrases: "nghèo rớt" (extremely poor) and "rớt mồng tơi" (dropping spinach leaves). "Nghèo rớt" means being so poor that you have nothing left, similar to expressions like "sặt trơn" (completely clean), "hết tròn" (completely gone), or "hết tối" (completely empty). "Rớt mồng tơi" simply refers to the slimy substance found in spinach leaves.

According to An Chi, combining these two phrases creates a humorous way of speaking, similar to many folk idioms such as "completely stupid," "drunk as a fishing rod," or "absolutely amazing." In these cases, the accompanying element (the handle of a hoe, fishing rod, spinach, etc.) is not directly related to the main meaning (stupid, drunk, poor) but is only used to further describe the word immediately preceding it to create humor.

An Chi also cited several viewpoints previously offered to explain the origin of the idiom. One hypothesis suggests that the slimy texture of spinach symbolizes money falling into the hands of the poor and then slipping away, unable to be retained for long. However, this interpretation "appears forced and difficult to accept."

Another explanation, recorded in the book "Stories of Proverbs and Idioms," suggests that "tơi" refers to the raincoat worn by farmers, while "mùng tơi" is the shoulder section of the coat made from the most durable leaves. According to this theory, people who were too poor had to wear such old raincoats that the body of the coat had almost completely fallen apart, leaving only the outer layer.

However, An Chi considers this explanation "unconvincing." According to the scholar, the attempt to find a direct link between poverty and spinach or a straw raincoat stems from the fact that the original humorous nuance of the idiom has faded over time. This is also why many different explanations have emerged regarding the origin of this familiar saying.

Source: https://znews.vn/tai-sao-noi-ngheo-rot-mong-toi-post1656577.html