Where does “犬も歩けば棒に当たる” come from?

犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Japanese) comes from Japanese も, from Old Japanese も, from Proto-Japonic mə, from Arabic مَن — who?; who.

犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Japanese): there is a danger of tragedy in any attempt

Definitions

  1. there is a danger of tragedy in any attempt

Ancestry of “犬も歩けば棒に当たる”, step by step

犬も歩けば棒に当たる traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese も

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1JapaneseもUsed to form the conjectural form of verbs,...
2Old Japaneseもnon-unique topic marker: also, even
3Proto-Japonicmənon-unique topic marker: also, even, too, as well
4Arabicمَنwho?; who

via Japanese 犬

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese犬dog; canine; one who is loyal; a spy
2Old Japaneseいぬ—

via Japanese 棒

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese棒a staff, measuring 6 尺 (about 1.8 meters), used in martial arts such as 棒術
2Middle Chinese棒staff, club
Every word from Arabic مَن →Every word from Proto-Japonic mə →Every word from Old Japanese も →