Where does “học chay” come from?

học chay (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chạy, from Proto-Vietic ciːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ciiʔ — louse.

học chay (Vietnamese): to study only theory, without much emphasis on practice or application

Definitions

  1. to study only theory, without much emphasis on practice or application

Ancestry of “học chay”, step by step

học chay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese chạy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechạyto run
2Proto-Vieticciːʔhead louse
3Proto-Mon-Khmerciiʔlouse

via Vietnamese học

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesehọcto study; to learn; -logy; -graphy
2Chinese學—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ciiʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic ciːʔ →Every word from Vietnamese chạy →