Where does “牛馬” come from?

牛馬 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 馬, from Middle Chinese 馬.

牛馬 (Japanese): oxen and horses, beasts of burden; a small breed...

Definitions

  1. oxen and horses, beasts of burden; a small breed...

Ancestry of “牛馬”, step by step

牛馬 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 馬

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese馬a horse; a promoted bishop; a sawhorse: a...
2Middle Chinese馬—

via Japanese 牛

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese牛cow, bull, ox, cattle; beef; Ox
2Middle Chinese牛—

via Middle Chinese 牛馬

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Chinese牛馬—
Every word from Middle Chinese 馬 →Every word from Japanese 馬 →