Where does “菩薩” come from?
菩薩 (Middle Chinese) comes 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 “菩薩”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 菩提薩埵 | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | बोधिसत्त्व | bodhisattva; "one whose essence is perfect... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | बोधि | bodhi: perfect knowledge or wisdom , the... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | bawdʰíṣ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | bawdʰíš | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |