Where does “呢” come from?
呢 (Chinese) comes from English level, from Middle English level, from Old French livel, from Latin lībella, from Latin lībra, from Ancient Greek ζυγόν, from Proto-Hellenic dzugón, from Proto-Indo-European yugóm — to join, to yoke, to tie together.
Ancestry of “呢”, step by step
呢 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English level
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | level | The same height at all places; parallel to a flat... |
| 2 | Middle English | level | — |
| 3 | Old French | livel | — |
| 4 | Latin | lībella | An as (the tenth part of a denarius) |
| 5 | Latin | lībra | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ζυγόν | yoke, for joining animals; yoke, burden; in... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | dzugón | yoke |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yugóm | yoke |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |
via Chinese 哩
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 哩 | — |
| 2 | English | mile | The international mile: a unit of length... |
| 3 | Middle English | myle | mile; The time it takes to walk a mile;... |
| 4 | Old English | mīl | millet; mile |
| 5 | Latin | mīlia | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | mīliju | mile |
| 7 | Latin | Mīlle | thousand; 1000 |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | smīɣeslī | thousand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ | — |