因yīn

因

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

The character 因 (yīn, "cause, because") remains unchanged between simplified and traditional forms. It depicts a person (大) lying on a bed or wrapped, originally meaning "to wrap" or "to rely on," which evolved to mean "cause" or "reason."

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Shuowen

因, the oracle bone form portrays a person reclining on a horizontal bed, with a vertical line denoting the body and a surrounding box indicating the enclosure. The original meaning was 'to recline' or 'to rely on', later abstractly used for 'cause' and 'because'. The composition of a horizontal support and a vertical figure reflects the act of lying down and depending on something.

Pinyin

yīn· HSK 1

因yīn

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin