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

HSK 3

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.

HSK 7-9

这场争吵的起因是一个误会。

Zhè chǎng zhēngchǎo de qǐyīn shì yīgè 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 (reason/cause), which is more general and used much more frequently.

Stroke Order

起 qǐ

因 yīn