Where does “渡りに船” come from?

渡りに船 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 船, from Old Japanese ふね, from Proto-Japonic punay — boat.

渡りに船 (Japanese): godsend, lifesaver

Definitions

  1. godsend, lifesaver

Ancestry of “渡りに船”, step by step

渡りに船 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 船

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese船ship, vessel, larger ship
2Old Japaneseふね—
3Proto-Japonicpunayboat

via Japanese に

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseにparticle for indirect objects; to; particle for...
2Old Japaneseに—

via Japanese 渡り

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese渡り—
Every word from Proto-Japonic punay →Every word from Old Japanese ふね →Every word from Japanese 船 →
渡りに船 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer