起源 (qǐ yuán) refers to the origin or beginning of something, used as both a noun and verb. Unlike 来源 (láiyuán 'source'), which is more concrete (e.g. a news source or funding), 起源 points to the historical or abstract starting point of an idea, custom, or phenomenon. As a verb, it is more formal than 来自 (lái zì 'come from') and often followed by 于 (e.g. 起源于 'originated in').