Where does “đẹp trai” come from?

đẹp trai (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese trái, from Proto-Vietic p-laːs, from Proto-Mon-Khmer laas — to spread; to extend.

đẹp trai (Vietnamese): handsome; attractive

Definitions

  1. handsome; attractive

Ancestry of “đẹp trai”, step by step

đẹp trai traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese trái

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetráileft; reverse; morally wrong, unreasonable,...
2Proto-Vieticp-laːsfathom
3Proto-Mon-Khmerlaasto spread; to extend

via Vietnamese đẹp

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđẹppleasant to look at; good-looking, beautiful,...
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer laas