About
The character "因" has its origins in a pictographic representation of a person reclining on a mat or cushion, a form that conveyed a sense of reliance upon a foundational object. This concrete image provided the conceptual basis for its earliest meanings related to "mat" and, by extension, "to depend on" or "to follow". Over time, this sense of dependence evolved into more abstract applications, with the character coming to denote the fundamental cause, reason, or basis for something. In classical Chinese, it solidified its grammatical function as a preposition meaning "because of", "according to", or "by means of", a role it continues to fulfill in modern usage. Its structural composition, which remains consistent between its traditional and simplified forms, is classified as an indicative or pictographic ideograph, and its core conceptual link between a tangible base and an abstract rationale has been maintained throughout its history.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我因为生病没去学校。
他因为忙所以没来。
这是失败的主要原因。
他努力学习，因此成绩很好。
因为天气不好，比赛被取消了。
他因工作出色而受到表扬。
经济因素是决策的关键原因。
实验因设备故障而中断，因此数据不完整。