源 (yuán) — source; origin (bound morpheme)

Definition

源 (yuán) is a bound morpheme meaning 'source' or 'origin'; it rarely stands alone and typically appears inside compound words like 来源, 资源, or 起源.

bound form

sourceorigin (bound morpheme)

。
Zhè tiáo hé de yuán tóu zài shān shàng.
The source of this river is in the mountains.
。
Wǒ men yào bǎo hù zì rán zī yuán.
We need to protect natural resources.
？
Zhè jiàn shì de qǐ yuán shì shén me?
What is the origin of this matter?

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

原

Same sound today

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

Appears in