Where does “anh chị em” come from?

anh chị em (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese em, from Proto-Vietic ʔɛːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer (sʔ)iəm.

anh chị em (Vietnamese): siblings; brothers and sisters; boys and girls

Definitions

  1. siblings; brothers and sisters; boys and girls

Ancestry of “anh chị em”, step by step

anh chị em traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese em

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseemyounger sibling; I/me, someone who's presumably a...
2Proto-Vieticʔɛːm—
3Proto-Mon-Khmer(sʔ)iəm—

via Vietnamese chí

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechíwill; spirit; Central Vietnam and Southern...
2Proto-Bahnaricciːhead louse
3Proto-Mon-Khmerciiʔlouse

via Vietnamese ảnh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseảnhimage; reflection; photograph; picture; he; him
2Proto-Vieticʔɛːŋelder brother

Words derived from “anh chị em”

Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer (sʔ)iəm →Every word from Proto-Vietic ʔɛːm →Every word from Vietnamese em →