Where does “兵長” come from?

兵長 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 兵, from Middle Chinese へい, from Middle Chinese 兵.

兵長 (Japanese): a lance corporal

Definitions

  1. a lance corporal

Ancestry of “兵長”, step by step

兵長 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 長

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese長chief, head, leader; strong point; major
2Middle Chinese長—
Every word from Middle Chinese 兵 →Every word from Middle Chinese へい →Every word from Japanese 兵 →
兵長 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer