Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/l(j)a(k/ŋ)

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *lek (Coblin, 1986)
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *l(j)ak ⪤ *l(j)aŋ (Matisoff, STEDT)

This root appears to be related with 🇨🇬, showing a very common alternation between *d and *l. As Matisoff (2013) points out, this *l ~ *d alternation is attested in many natural languages, even outside the Sino-Tibetan language family.

Alternatively, Tibetan and  could come from 🇨🇬 (Schuessler, 2007).

Adjective

 * 1) good
 * 2) beautiful
 * 3) real
 * 4) straight

Adverb

 * 1) very
 * 2) really

Descendants

 * Old Chinese: // (B-S);  ("good, virtuous")
 * Middle Chinese:


 * Modern Chinese
 * Beijing: (liáng, ) ("good")
 * Cantonese:
 * Hakka:
 * Min
 * Min Nan:
 * Tani
 * Western Tani
 * Bokar: ("good")
 * Himalayish
 * Bodic
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Tibetan
 * Written, ,
 * Tangut-Qiang
 * Northern Tangut
 * (lia, ) ("beautiful")
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * Achang: ("beautiful")
 * Loloish
 * Naxi: ("beautiful")