理由 (lǐ yóu) — reason; grounds; justification | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

理由 is the reason someone gives to justify a choice or action — an explanation, not a mere cause. Compared to 原因 (the objective cause that produced something), 理由 is what you say to defend or explain a decision.

noun

reasongroundsjustification

Measure word · 个

Examples

理由。
Tā shuō le yí gè hěn hǎo de lǐ yóu.
He gave a very good reason.
理由？
Nǐ yǒu shén me lǐ yóu bú qù cān jiā?
What reason do you have for not attending?
理由。
Wǒ tóng yì nǐ de lǐ yóu.
I agree with your reason.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

理lǐreason

'理' (reason) and '由' (cause) combine to mean grounds.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ理lǐ

Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

It began as a drawing of new shoots or leaves growing upward from a plant-like base.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words Cause, Effect & Logic 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.