原因
yuányīn · HSK 2
cause
🌱 原因 = 原 (origin/source) + 因 (cause/reason)
原 means source or original (think 原来, originally); 因 means cause or because (think 因为). Together they form the noun reason or cause — the source-cause behind why something happened.
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.
因 — enclosure 囗 + big 大
因 originally pictured a person (大) lying on a mat or cushion, shown by the surrounding box (囗). The original sense was 'mat' or 'to rely on,' which extended to 'cause,' 'reason,' and 'because of.' The 'mat' meaning was later written with 茵.