起因

qǐyīn

noun #14,748

Meanings

1 cause
2 a factor leading to an effect
3 origin (of an incident)

Characters

to rise; to start

Examples

事故的起因还在调查中。

Shìgù de qǐyīn hái zài diàochá zhōng.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

这场争吵的起因是一个误会。

Zhè chǎng zhēngchǎo de qǐyīn shì yī gè wùhuì.

The cause of this argument was a misunderstanding.

Tips

usage

起因 focuses on the initial trigger of an event. Compare with 原因 (yuányīn, reason/cause), which is more general and used much more frequently.

Stroke Order

起 qǐ

因 yīn