根源 (gēn yuán) — (noun) root cause, origin; (verb) to originate… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

根源 means 'root cause, origin' — stronger and more abstract than 原因 ('reason, cause'), focusing on the deepest source rather than a proximate trigger. Verb use 源于 X means 'stem from X', more literary than 出自.

noun

root causeorigin

verb

to originate fromto stem from

Examples

根源。
Wǒ men yào cóng gēn yuán shàng jiě jué zhè ge wèn tí.
We need to solve this problem at its root.
根源。
Tā de chéng gōng gēn yuán yú duō nián de jiān chí.
His success stems from years of persistence.
根源？
Zhè chǎng chōng tū de gēn yuán shì shén me?
What is the root cause of this conflict?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

根 means base and 源 means source; both parts point to the origin.

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.

木艮根

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn根gēn(r)

Same sound today

根 pairs 木 (tree/wood), pointing to plant roots, with 艮 as a sound part.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

原

原yuán源yuán

Same sound today

源 combines 水 (water) and 原 (origin): 水 points to water, and 原 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Abstract Concepts

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