How common it is
原因 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say yuányīn slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
原因表示事情发生的理由。
yuán yīn biǎo shì shì qíng fā shēng de lǐ yóu。
原因 means the reason something happened.
Context note
原因常用于解释、调查和回答。
yuán yīn cháng yòng yú jiě shì 、 diào chá hé huí dá。
Reason is often used with explanations, investigation, and answers.
5 examples
原因是什么？
yuán yīn shì shén me？
What is the reason?
他告诉了我们原因。
tā gào sù le wǒ men yuán yīn。
He told us the reason.
我不知道原因。
wǒ bù zhī dào yuán yīn。
I do not know the reason.
这就是失败的原因。
zhè jiù shì shī bài de yuán yīn。
This is the reason for the failure.
原因很简单。
yuán yīn hěn jiǎn dān。
The reason is very simple.
5 mini stories
老师问我们迟到的原因。
lǎo shī wèn wǒ men chí dào de yuán yīn。
The teacher asked for the reason we were late.
我找到了问题的原因。
wǒ zhǎo dào le wèn tí de yuán yīn。
I found the reason for the problem.
原因不是天气，而是堵车。
yuán yīn bú shì tiān qì， ér shì dǔ chē。
The reason was not the weather, but traffic.
他解释了生病的原因。
tā jiě shì le shēng bìng de yuán yīn。
He explained the reason for being sick.
知道原因后，就容易解决了。
zhī dào yuán yīn hòu， jiù róng yì jiě jué le。
After knowing the reason, it is easier to solve.