原因

yuán yīn

CL 个 gè 种 zhǒng

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Noun Very common

Definitions

1. cause
2. origin
3. root cause
4. reason

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 结果 jié guǒ 结果 jié guǒ outcome 结果 means result or outcome, opposite of cause or reason.: outcome

Related words

2 items

• 起因 qǐ yīn 起因 qǐ yīn cause 起因 specifically means the cause or origin of an event, often used in news reports.: cause
• 理由 lǐ yóu 理由 lǐ yóu reason 理由 refers to reason or justification, emphasizing logical reasoning rather than causation.: reason

Synonyms

1 item

• 缘故 yuán gù 缘故 yuán gù reason Used similarly for reason or cause, but 缘故 often appears in literary or formal contexts.: reason

Usage notes

Collocations

原因 is often paired with 的 and 是: …的原因是… (the reason for ... is ...).

Common mistakes

原因 cannot be used as a verb; do not say *我原因他. Use 因为 or 由于 for 'because'.

Example Sentences

5 shown

由于天气 原因 ，比赛被取消了。

Due to the weather, the match was cancelled.

由于天气 原因 ，航班延误了两个小时。

The flight was delayed for two hours due to weather.

失败的 原因 是什么？

What is the reason for the failure?

请列举三个 原因 。

Please list three reasons.

我们正在查明事故 原因 。

We are ascertaining the cause of the accident.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 原因

• 原 原 yuán: former
• 因 因 yīn: cause