因 yīn – cause, reason

Main meanings:

① cause, reason

② because; because of.

③ follow, carry on.

HSK -

STROKES - 6

RADICAL - 囗

Etymology:

Elements ---- Ice 大 + matress, bed 囗. Phonetic series 因.

A person 大 lying in bed 口during the daytime makes other people think that there is a reason for it.

Main Words:

因为 yīnwéi – because (because + on account of)

原因 yuányīn – cause, reason (original + reason)

Discussion and sources

In some old books it si considered that this character is related to .囚 [qiú] imprison. Other researchers think that the character was originally the drawing of a mattress, but and analysis of the oldest Oracle Bone Characters showes that from the oldest forms a person ( 大) was present, en veloped first in what could be a blanket, and later on a mattress.

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