Where does “一等兵” come from?

一等兵 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 兵, from Middle Chinese へい, from Middle Chinese 兵.

一等兵 (Japanese): a private first class

Definitions

  1. a private first class

Ancestry of “一等兵”, step by step

一等兵 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 兵

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese兵a soldier; a war machine; a weapon; a battle, a...
2Middle Chineseへい—
3Middle Chinese兵—

via Japanese 一等

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese一等first-class, first-rate, top, the best
Every word from Middle Chinese 兵 →Every word from Middle Chinese へい →Every word from Japanese 兵 →