Where does “chị em” come from?
chị em (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese em, from Proto-Vietic ʔɛːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer (sʔ)iəm.
chị em (Vietnamese): sisters
Ancestry of “chị em”, step by step
chị em traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vietnamese em
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | em | younger sibling; I/me, someone who's presumably a... |
| 2 | Proto-Vietic | ʔɛːm | — |
| 3 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | (sʔ)iəm | — |
via Vietnamese chí
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | chí | will; spirit; Central Vietnam and Southern... |
| 2 | Proto-Bahnaric | ciː | head louse |
| 3 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | ciiʔ | louse |