Where does “四” come from?
四 (Middle Chinese) comes from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij — four.
Ancestry of “四”, step by step
四 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | *pV-lij | four |
via Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sino-Tibetan | *pV-lij | — |