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原 (yuán) — original, former; raw, unprocessed

Definition

原 is an adjective meaning 'original' or 'raw/unprocessed' (e.g. 原材料 'raw materials'). Pairs with nouns; not interchangeable with 主要 ('main/principal') or 原始 ('primitive / earliest, in time').

adjective
originalformerrawunprocessed
Easily confused

Examples

  • 原，。
    Tā lí kāi le yuán dān wèi, qù le xīn gōng sī.
    He left his former workplace and went to a new company.
  • 。
    Zhè xiē yuán cái liào shì cóng guó wài jìn kǒu de.
    These raw materials were imported from abroad.
  • 。
    Qǐng bǎ dōng xī jì dào yuán dì zhǐ.
    Please send the stuff to the original address.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

Appears in
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