Where does “chầu trời” come from?

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

chầu trời (Vietnamese): to attend the heavenly court of the Jade Emperor

Definitions

  1. to attend the heavenly court of the Jade Emperor

Ancestry of “chầu trời”, step by step

chầu trời traces back through two 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 châu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechâua province in ancient China and its colonies;...
2Proto-Vieticcuːʔgrandchild; father's younger brother
3Proto-Mon-Khmercuuʔgrandchild
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer briiʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic b-ləːj →Every word from Vietnamese trời →