缘故 yuángù reason
reason; cause
How to remember 缘故: 缘 reason + 故 former = reason.
Characters
How it is used
- 'Reason/cause', typically in the pattern '因为…的缘故' - 因为天气的缘故,航班取消了 (yīnwèi tiānqì de yuángù, hángbān qǔxiāo le) the flight was canceled owing to the weather.
- Slightly more formal than 原因 (yuányīn); it usually trails the cause it explains rather than leading with it.
- Common set frame: 不知什么缘故 (bùzhī shénme yuángù) for some unknown reason.