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由来 (yóu lái) — origin (of a custom, name, phenomenon, etc.)

Definition

由来 names the origin or historical source of a custom, name, or phenomenon. Similar to 起源 but more focused on the reason or source behind something existing, rather than its starting point in time.

noun
origin (of a custom, name, phenomenon, etc.)

Examples

  • 由来？
    Nǐ zhī dào zhè ge jié rì de yóu lái ma?
    Do you know the origin of this festival?
  • 由来。
    Zhè ge dì míng de yóu lái yǔ yí wèi lì shǐ rén wù yǒu guān.
    The origin of this place name is related to a historical figure.
  • 由来。
    Wǒ men yào liǎo jiě zhè zhǒng xí sú de yóu lái.
    We need to understand the origin of this custom.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

由yóucause
来láisource

由 gives cause, 来 gives source, together meaning origin.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

It began as a drawing of new shoots or leaves growing upward from a plant-like base.

Open 由 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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