(yuán běn) - originally, at first in Mandarin
yuánběnTraditional: 原本
Translation
originally, at first
Word origin
Two characters that both mean beginning, stacked for weight: 原 (yuán, the source) and 本 (běn, the root).
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 原 (yuán, source, original) + 本 (běn, root, origin)
Stroke order
原
本
Examples
，。
I originally planned to go today, but it rained.
。
This building was originally a little shop.
，。
At first he did not want to speak, but in the end he did.
。
We had originally arranged to meet at seven.
。
The price of this book was originally a bit higher.
原本 (yuán běn) marks how things stood before they changed. It sits in front of the verb and quietly promises a second clause: I originally meant to, and then something happened.
Because of that promise, a bare 原本 sentence with no follow-up sounds unfinished to a Chinese ear. Pair it with 可是, 但是 or 后来 and it clicks into place. 本来 (běn lái) is its everyday twin and is interchangeable in almost every one of these sentences.
The trap is 原来 (yuán lái), which looks nearly identical and is not. 原来 is the flash of realisation, so that is what was going on, and it often opens a sentence on its own. 原本 is a plan that got overtaken. One is a discovery, the other a change of course.
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原本: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "原本" (originally, at first): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 53.