Where does “断食” come from?

断食 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 食, from Middle Chinese 食.

断食 (Japanese): fast, fasting. Abstaining from food

Definitions

  1. fast, fasting. Abstaining from food

Ancestry of “断食”, step by step

断食 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 食

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese食food; grain; a meal
2Middle Chinese食—

via Japanese 断

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese断judgement
2Middle Chinese斷—
Every word from Middle Chinese 食 →Every word from Japanese 食 →