(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)

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?

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