出于
chūyū · HSK 5
start
🚪➡️ 出于 = 出 (exit/out) + 于 (from/at) — exit-from = stem from
出 means to go out or exit; 于 is a classical preposition meaning at/from. Together 出于 literally reads exit-from, used for what something proceeds or originates from, like a motive or source.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
于 — two horizontal strokes 二 + vertical hook 亅
于 originated as a pictograph of breath or sound flowing outward, depicting exhalation through a passage. In oracle bone script it resembled a curved line showing motion or extension. Over time it became a grammatical preposition meaning 'at,' 'in,' or 'to,' losing its original concrete sense.