原
yuán · HSK 6
originally
⛲ cliff (厂) sheltering a spring (泉) — water's origin point
The character depicts a spring emerging from under a cliff — the source where water begins. From that concrete source meaning it generalized to originally or formerly.
原 — cliff 厂 + spring 泉 (white 白 + water 水)
Originally a pictograph showing a spring of water flowing out from beneath a cliff, depicting the source of a stream. From this concrete image of a water source, the meaning extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'original.' A separate character 源 was later created with the water radical 氵 to keep the literal 'spring' sense.