Where does “先行” come from?

先行 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 先, from Middle Chinese 先 — first, former; earlier, first.

先行 (Japanese): the first, the vanguard, the state of going out in front

Definitions

  1. the first, the vanguard, the state of going out in front

Ancestry of “先行”, step by step

先行 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 先

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese先before, previous; end, tip; earlier, the past
2Middle Chinese先first, former; earlier, first

via Japanese 行き

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese行きgoing
2Japaneseいきづまるto be breathtaking
Every word from Middle Chinese 先 →Every word from Japanese 先 →