Where does “ăn miếng trả miếng” come from?

ăn miếng trả miếng (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese trả, from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.

Ancestry of “ăn miếng trả miếng”, step by step

ăn miếng trả miếng traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese trả

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetrảto return, to give back; to pay
2Chinese茶tea
3Proto-Loloishla¹tea
4Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

via Vietnamese ăn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseănto eat; Synonym of uống; to dine; to feast, to...
2Chinese安—

via Vietnamese miếng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemiếngpiece, crumb
2Proto-Vietic-mɛːŋʔmouth
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la →Every word from Proto-Loloish la¹ →Every word from Chinese 茶 →