Where does “あることないこと” come from?

あることないこと (Japanese) comes from Japanese こと, from Japanese 事, from Middle Chinese 事.

あることないこと (Japanese): mixture of fact and fiction; half-truth

Definitions

  1. mixture of fact and fiction; half-truth

Ancestry of “あることないこと”, step by step

あることないこと traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese こと

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseことbroadly, any abstract thing, affair, matter, or fact
2Japanesething, fact, event; thing; stuff; abstract thing
3Middle Chinese

via Japanese ない

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseないhaving that quality, having that state; very much...
2Old Japaneseない

via Japanese ある

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseある有る, 在る to exist; 有る, 在る to happen
2Japaneseあり有り existing; 蟻 ant
Every word from Middle Chinese Every word from Japanese Every word from Japanese こと