rejectedby alexxx · Oct 24, 2026, 10:14 AM· Reviewed by Prismcool on Oct 24, 2026, 05:42 PM
Fixed ethymology according to Shuowen.
Review: 因 did not arouse from a semantic expansion. The current usage of the graph is a phonetic loan. As for the graphical explanation, it indeed does also depict a person (大) on a mat (囗) but you need to find a recent source that can prove this explanation.
Changed fields: hint, originalMeaning, components
Original meaning: To approach / to rely upon.
Originally depicted a person (大) lying on a mattress or straw mat (囗), now written as 裀 or 茵. The current meaning of 'cause/reason' is a metaphorical extension of 'that upon which one relies'.
