Where does “六牙の白象” come from?

六牙の白象 (Japanese) comes from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.

六牙の白象 (Japanese): the six-tusked white elephant that 摩耶夫人}} dreamt of while she was carrying the Buddha

Definitions

  1. the six-tusked white elephant that 摩耶夫人}} dreamt of while she was carrying the Buddha

Ancestry of “六牙の白象”, step by step

六牙の白象 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese の

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseのgenitive case marker; nominative case marker in a...
2Old Japaneseのplain, field
3Middle Chinese能talent, ability

via Japanese 六

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese六six; a name of a hole of a wind instrument
2Late Middle Chinese六—

via Japanese 牙

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese牙fang, tusk, tooth; dog; a plant sprout, a plant...
2Old Japanese歯tooth
Every word from Middle Chinese 能 →Every word from Old Japanese の →Every word from Japanese の →