Where does “đứng như trời trồng” come from?

đứng như trời trồng (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese trời, from Proto-Vietic b-ləːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer briiʔ — sky; rain; forest.

Ancestry of “đứng như trời trồng”, step by step

đứng như trời trồng traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese trời

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetrờithe sky; weather; a generic deification of the...
2Proto-Vieticb-ləːjsky
3Proto-Mon-Khmerbriiʔsky; rain; forest

via Vietnamese trồng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetrồngto plant
2Proto-Vietick-lɔːŋclear; limpid; inside
3Proto-Mon-Khmerkluuŋinside, middle

via Vietnamese đứng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđứngto stand; be still
2Chinese
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer briiʔEvery word from Proto-Vietic b-ləːjEvery word from Vietnamese trời
đứng như trời trồng — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer