Meaning of 原始
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- first
- original
- primitive
- original (document etc)
How to use 原始
原始 describes things that are original, unprocessed, or primitive, such as data, records, forests, or early societies. It often appears before a noun, with or without 的. Example: 这是原始数据。(Zhè shì yuánshǐ shùjù.) This is the raw data.
原 (yuán) means source or origin, and 始 (shǐ) means to begin, as in 开始 (kāishǐ). Put the source and the beginning together and you get something in its first, original state.
Common mistake: Learners often use 原始 where 原来 (yuánlái) fits better. 原来 means former or originally, as in 我原来的老师 (my former teacher). 原始 means primitive or untouched, so 原始的老师 sounds like a caveman teacher.
原始 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
原 yuán · former · 10 strokes
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始 shǐ · to begin · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 原始.
| 原因 | yuányīn | cause; origin |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin; to start; beginning; start |
| 始终 | shǐzhōng | from beginning to end; all along |
| 原则 | yuánzé | principle; doctrine |
| 原料 | yuánliào | raw material |
| 草原 | cǎoyuán | grassland; prairie |
| 原理 | yuánlǐ | principle; theory |
| 原先 | yuánxiān | originally; original |
| 平原 | píngyuán | field; plain |
| 高原 | gāoyuán | plateau |
| 原有 | yuányǒu | original; former |
Questions about 原始
What does 原始 mean?
原始 (yuánshǐ) means "first; original" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 原始?
原始 is made of 2 characters: 原 (10 strokes), 始 (8 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 原始 an HSK word?
Yes. 原始 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 原始 negative, like calling something primitive in English?
Not usually. In phrases like 原始森林 (yuánshǐ sēnlín, virgin forest) or 原始文件 (original file) it is neutral. It can sound negative when describing methods or tools, as in 方法很原始 (the method is very crude).
What is the difference between 原始 and 最初 (zuìchū)?
最初 means at the very beginning in time and is often used as an adverb, as in 最初我不喜欢 (at first I didn't like it). 原始 describes the original or raw state of a thing and is mainly used as an adjective before nouns.