缘于 (yuán yú) — due to, because of; to originate from, to stem from

Definition

缘于 (yuán yú) is a formal, written preposition meaning 'stem from / be due to,' used to attribute a cause. Compared to 因为, it sounds more literary and is more common in writing than speech.

preposition
due tobecause ofto originate fromto stem from
Easily confused

Examples

  • 缘于。
    Zhè chǎng wēi jī yuán yú guǎn lǐ bú shàn.
    This crisis stemmed from poor management.
  • 缘于。
    Tā de chéng gōng yuán yú bú xiè nǔ lì.
    His success came from unremitting effort.
  • 缘于。
    Liǎng guó chōng tū yuán yú lì shǐ wèn tí.
    The conflict between the two countries originated from historical issues.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

缘yuáncause
于yúfrom

缘 (cause/origin) and 于 (from) combine to mean owing to or originating from.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緣; 缘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
彖
彖tuàn緣⁰yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緣 puts 糸 (silk) beside 彖, which gives the sound; the simplified 缘 is a later abbreviation.

Open 缘 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

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