因

囙

yīn

囗 + 大

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

yīn (particle) because; due to

yīn (noun) cause; reason

Etymology

Pictograph of clothing surrounding (囗) a person (大), now written as 裀. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

因 places 大, a figure with outstretched limbs, inside the surrounding element 囗, which here represents clothing. The configuration originally depicted a garment enveloping a person, the early form of the now-obsolete character 裀. Through phonetic borrowing, the character was detached from its concrete origin and repurposed to express abstract notions of cause and reason, functioning in modern Chinese as both a noun ("cause") and a conjunction ("because").

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我因为生病没去学校。

Wǒ yīnwèi shēngbìng méi qù xuéxiào.

I didn't go to school because I was sick.

他因为忙所以没来。

Tā yīnwèi máng suǒyǐ méi lái.

He didn't come because he was busy.

这是失败的主要原因。

Zhè shì shībài de zhǔyào yuányīn.

This is the main reason for failure.

他努力学习，因此成绩很好。

Tā nǔlì xuéxí, yīncǐ chéngjī hěn hǎo.

He studies hard, therefore his grades are good.

因为天气不好，比赛被取消了。

Yīnwèi tiānqì bù hǎo, bǐsài bèi qǔxiāo le.

Because the weather was bad, the game was cancelled.

他因工作出色而受到表扬。

Tā yīn gōngzuò chūsè ér shòudào biǎoyáng.

He was praised for his outstanding work.

经济因素是决策的关键原因。

Jīngjì yīnsù shì juécè de guānjiàn yuányīn.

Economic factors are key reasons for the decision.

实验因设备故障而中断，因此数据不完整。

Shíyàn yīn shèbèi gùzhàng ér zhōngduàn, yīncǐ shùjù bù wánzhěng.

The experiment was interrupted due to equipment failure, therefore the data is incomplete.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 囗

Component: 大

Example Words