Chinese word

原因

Pronunciation

Pinyinyuán yīn

Meaning

  • nounreason

Example

你知道他迟到的原因吗？nǐ zhī dào tā chí dào de yuán yīn ma

Do you know the reason he was late?

Illustration for 原因 (reason)

More examples

我们需要找出问题的原因。wǒ men xū yào zhǎo chū wèn tí de yuán yīn

We need to find the cause of the problem.

Core concept

The source behind an outcome, whether it is a situation, event, or contributing condition.

Common phrases

  • 找出原因zhǎo chū yuán yīn

    find the cause

Similar words

理由lǐ yóu: A thought or motive that explains a person's action or decision.
因素yīn sù: A condition or element that affects an outcome.

Definition in Chinese

导致某一结果或变化的事物、情况或条件。dǎo zhì mǒu yì jié guǒ huò biàn huà de shì wù qíng kuàng huò tiáo jiàn

Word origin

原因 (yuányīn, "cause") is formed from 原 (yuán, "source") + 因 (yīn, "cause"), expressing what an outcome grows from and what brings it about.

Usage tips

  • English reason can mean either a cause or a personal motive, while this Chinese noun focuses on what brings about an event or change, so context matters in one-to-one translations.

Other meanings

  • factornoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word