About
Originally an ideogrammic compound, 原 combines the radical 厂 (hǎn), a cliff, with 泉 (quán), a spring, to depict water flowing from beneath a rocky overhang. This image of a water source established its primary meaning as the headwater of a river. From this concrete sense, the meaning extended to denote the origin or fundamental cause of anything. A secondary meaning also developed, referring to broad, flat expanses of land, such as plains or meadows.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我喜欢草原。
他原来很高。
这是什么原因？
请原谅我的错误。
我们必须坚持原则。
原始社会的人类生活很艰苦。
他原本计划去旅行，但取消了。
这部电影是根据原著小说改编的。