Where does “玉突き” come from?

玉突き (Japanese) comes from Japanese 玉, from Middle Chinese 玉.

玉突き (Japanese): a pile-up

Definitions

  1. a pile-up

Ancestry of “玉突き”, step by step

玉突き traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 玉

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese玉"any spherical or similarly-rounded object"; a...
2Middle Chinese玉—

via Japanese 突き

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese突きpoking; stabbing; a stab, especially one at the...
2Japanese突くpoke, push, jab, prod, ram; to poke; to peck at
Every word from Middle Chinese 玉 →Every word from Japanese 玉 →
玉突き — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer