Where does “賢” come from?
賢 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 菩薩, from Middle Chinese 菩薩, from Middle Chinese 菩提薩埵, from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व, from Sanskrit बोधि, from Proto-Indo-Aryan bawdʰíṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian bawdʰíš, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- — to be awake, be aware.
Ancestry of “賢”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 菩薩 | a bodhisattva |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 菩薩 | — |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 菩提薩埵 | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | बोधिसत्त्व | bodhisattva; "one whose essence is perfect... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | बोधि | (also feminine gender) bodhi: perfect knowledge or wisdom (by which a man becomes a buddha or jina), the illuminated or enlightened intellect (of a Buddha or jina) |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | bawdʰíṣ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | bawdʰíš | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |