Where does “蛇足” come from?

蛇足 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 蛇, from Middle Chinese しゃ'.

蛇足 (Japanese): something useless; unnecessary; superfluous

Definitions

  1. something useless; unnecessary; superfluous

Ancestry of “蛇足”, step by step

蛇足 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 蛇

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese蛇a snake, serpent
2Middle Chineseしゃ'—

via Japanese 足

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese足foot; 脚 leg
2Old Japanese足—
Every word from Middle Chinese しゃ' →Every word from Japanese 蛇 →