Where does “上等兵” come from?

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

上等兵 (Japanese): a superior private

Definitions

  1. a superior private

Ancestry of “上等兵”, step by step

上等兵 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 上等

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese上等high-quality; first-class; superior
Every word from Middle Chinese 兵 →Every word from Middle Chinese へい →Every word from Japanese 兵 →