Where does “chữ hành” come from?
chữ hành (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chữ, from Proto-Vietic cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ — grandchild.
chữ hành (Vietnamese): semi-cursive script
Ancestry of “chữ hành”, step by step
chữ hành traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vietnamese chữ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | chữ | alphabet, writing system, script; letter,... |
| 2 | Proto-Vietic | cuːʔ | grandchild; father's younger brother |
| 3 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | cuuʔ | grandchild |
via Vietnamese hành
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | hành | scallion, spring onion; onion; Short for hành tây |
| 2 | Vietnamese | hành hạ | to cause serious injury or misery to someone; to harass, to torment |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 行 | — |