Where does “蛇の目” come from?

蛇の目 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 目, from Middle Chinese 目.

蛇の目 (Japanese): a black circle circled by a white circle

Definitions

  1. a black circle circled by a white circle

Ancestry of “蛇の目”, step by step

蛇の目 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 目

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese目an order in biology: smaller than a class, bigger...
2Middle Chinese目—

via Japanese 蛇

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese蛇a snake, serpent
2Middle Chineseしゃ'—
Every word from Middle Chinese 目 →Every word from Japanese 目 →