Where does “cười chê” come from?

cười chê (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chè, from Middle Chinese 茶, from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.

cười chê (Vietnamese): to mock; to ridicule; to sneer at; to laugh at

Definitions

  1. to mock; to ridicule; to sneer at; to laugh at

Ancestry of “cười chê”, step by step

cười chê traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese chè

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechètea; a thick, sweet dessert soup or pudding,...
2Middle Chinese
3Chinesetea
4Proto-Loloishla¹tea
5Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

via Vietnamese cười

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesecườismile
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-laEvery word from Proto-Loloish la¹Every word from Chinese