Etymology
"Bento" originates from the Southern Song Dynasty slang term 便當 (pinyin: biàndāng), meaning "convenient" or "convenience." When imported to Japan, it was written with the ateji 便道, 辨道, and 辨當. In shinjitai, 辨當 is written as 弁当.
In the 20th century, the term was imported to modern Mandarin, rendered as 便當, where it retains its older meaning of "convenient" and also refers to bento in mainland China and generic boxed lunches in Taiwan.
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