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)
Easily confused
- 原yuánlook-alikeoriginal, former
- 员yuánsound-alike(suffix) person; employee; member
- 元yuánsound-alike(classifier) yuan, the basic unit of Chinese currency
- 圆yuánsound-alike(noun) circle
- 园yuánsound-alikegarden; park; (in compounds) a place for a specific purpose (e.g., kindergarten, botanical garden)
- 缘yuánsound-alike(in compounds) fate, predestined relationship
Examples
- 。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?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
源 combines 水 (water) and 原 (origin): 水 points to water, and 原 gives the sound.
Appears in
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