原 yuán original
original; former; raw; cause
How to remember 原: 厂 factory + 白 white + 小 small = original. Behind the old factory the guide shows the hikers a white trickle, a small spring that is the whole river's original source.
Component breakdown
原 = 厂 factory + 白 white + 小 small
- 厂 factory
- 白 white
- 小 small
Behind the old factory the guide shows the hikers a white trickle, a small spring that is the whole river's original source.
How it came to be
A spring welling up under a cliff. It is the place a stream starts rather than the stream, which is exactly what an origin is, and the character never needed to change to mean it.
How it is used
- Original / former / raw - 原来 (yuánlái) originally / it turns out, 原因 (yuányīn) cause, 原则 (yuánzé) principle, 原料 (yuánliào) raw material.
- 原谅 (yuánliàng) to forgive - a high-frequency word.
- 原来 has a discovery use: 原来是你 (yuánlái shì nǐ) oh, so it was you!
Characters built with 原
Words with 原
- 原因yuányīncauseHSK 4
- 原谅yuánliàngto excuseHSK 4
- 原来yuánláioriginalHSK 4
- 原则yuánzéprincipleHSK 5
- 原有yuányǒuoriginalHSK 5
- 原先yuánxiānoriginallyHSK 6
- 原始yuánshǐfirstHSK 6
- 原料yuánliàoraw materialHSK 6
- 原本yuánběnoriginallyHSK 6
- 原材料yuáncáiliàoraw and semifinished materialsHSK 6
- 原理yuánlǐprincipleHSK 6
- 草原cǎoyuángrasslandHSK 6
- 还原huányuánto restore to the original stateHSK 6
- 高原gāoyuánplateauHSK 6
- 原告yuángàocomplainantHSK 7
- 复原fùyuánto restore to former conditionHSK 7
- 平原píngyuánfieldHSK 7
- 原创yuánchuàngto create (an original work)HSK 8
- 原型yuánxíngmodelHSK 8
- 原汁原味yuánzhī-yuánwèioriginalHSK 8
- 原装yuánzhuānggenuineHSK 8
Example sentences
- 你迟到是什么原因？ Nǐ chídào shì shénme yuányīn?What's your reason for being late?
- 我希望你能原谅我。 Wǒ xīwàng nǐ néng yuánliàng wǒ.I hope you can forgive me.
- 这个村子的生活条件仍然很原始。 Zhège cūnzi de shēnghuó tiáojiàn réngrán hěn yuánshǐ.The living conditions in this village are still very primitive.
- 把它恢复到原来的状态。 Bǎ tā huīfù dào yuánlái de zhuàngtài.Return it to its original state.