Where does “千手観音” come from?

千手観音 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 千, from Middle Chinese 千, from Old Chinese 千.

千手観音 (Japanese): the Thousand-Handed Bodhisattva

Definitions

  1. the Thousand-Handed Bodhisattva

Ancestry of “千手観音”, step by step

千手観音 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 千

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese千a thousand, 1000
2Middle Chinese千—
3Old Chinese千—

via Japanese 手

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese手a hand; a handle, grip; a paw, foreleg
2Middle Chinese手—

via Japanese 観音

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese観音Guanyin
2Middle Chinese觀音—
Every word from Old Chinese 千 →Every word from Middle Chinese 千 →Every word from Japanese 千 →