Where does “紀元前” come from?

紀元前 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 前, from Middle Chinese 前.

紀元前 (Japanese): BC

Definitions

  1. BC

Ancestry of “紀元前”, step by step

紀元前 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 前

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese前the front; the past; previous
2Middle Chinese前—

via Japanese 紀元

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese紀元the Common Era
Every word from Middle Chinese 前 →Every word from Japanese 前 →