由 (yóu): to follow, from, because of, due to
由 (yóu) is a Chinese character meaning “to follow.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 田 (field). It ranks #136 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 由 road 丨 leading to the farm 田. Its radical form 田 (field) appears in many related characters such as 电 (diàn, lightning), 男 (nán, male), 画 (huà, to draw, painting).
Definitions
- to follow
- from
- because of
- due to
Etymology & Origin
ideographicRoad 丨 leading to the farm 田
Stroke Order
Practice writing 由 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 由
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 自由adjective/noun | zì yóu | freedom | 5 |
| 理由noun | lǐ yóu | reason | 5 |
| 由于preposition/conjunction | yóu yú | due to | 4 |
| 由此 | yóu cǐ | hereby | 5 |
| 由来noun | yóu lái | origin | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 任由 | rèn yóu | to let (sb do sth) |
| 由衷 | yóu zhōng | heartfelt |
| 缘由 | yuán yóu | reason |
| 不由自主 | bù yóu zì zhǔ | (idiom) can't help but |
| 自由自在 | zì yóu zì zài | free and easy (idiom) |
| 身不由己 | shēn bù yóu jǐ | (idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control |
| 自由主义 | zì yóu zhǔ yì | liberalism |
| 听天由命 | tīng tiān yóu mìng | (idiom) to submit to the will of heaven |
| 经由 | jīng yóu | via |
| 咎由自取 | jiù yóu zì qǔ | (idiom) to have only oneself to blame |
| 不由 | bù yóu | can't help (doing sth) |
| 路由器 | lù yóu qì | router (computing) |
| 自由党 | zì yóu dǎng | Liberal Party |
| 自由式 | zì yóu shì | freestyle (in sports) |
| 言不由衷 | yán bù yóu zhōng | to say sth without meaning it (idiom) |
由 appears in 100 compound words: 14 as the first character, 30 as the last, and 56 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 由 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (25)
to allow no expectation; without listening to somebody's protests; despite objections
to have different products or services at different prices (cheap and expensive) to choose from
to act in accordance with the old rules (idiom); to follow a proven formula
to allow no expectation; without listening to somebody's protests; despite objections
Showing 12 of 25 idioms containing 由.
Example Sentences
这次会议由张经理主持，讨论新项目的实施方案。
Zhè cì huìyì yóu Zhāng jīnglǐ zhǔchí, tǎolùn xīn xiàngmù de shíshī fāng'àn.
This meeting is chaired by Manager Zhang to discuss the implementation plan for the new project.
(米兰冬奥会)谷爱凌、李方慧摘得自由式滑雪女子U池金、银牌
( mǐ lán dōng ào huì ) gǔ ài líng , lǐ fāng huì zhāi dé zì yóu shì huá xuě nǚ zǐ U chí jīn , yín pái
(Milan Winter Olympics) Gu Ailing and Li Fanghui won gold and silver medals in the women's U pool in freestyle skiing
(专题)致自由!盘点11部那些年不能说的故事
( zhuān tí ) zhì zì yóu ! pán diǎn 1 1 bù nà xiē nián bù néng shuō de gù shì
To freedom! Take stock of the 11 stories that cannot be told in those years
中国队包揽米兰冬奥会自由式滑雪女子U池冠亚军
zhōng guó duì bāo lǎn mǐ lán dōng ào huì zì yóu shì huá xuě nǚ zǐ U chí guàn yà jūn
The Chinese team won the championship and runner-up in the women's U pool in freestyle skiing at the Milan Winter Olympics
自由式滑雪男子U型场地技巧预赛结束 4名中国...
zì yóu shì huá xuě nán zǐ U xíng chǎng dì jì qiǎo yù sài jié shù 4 míng zhōng guó . . .
Freestyle skiing men's halfpipe track skills preliminaries ended with 4 Chinese...
冬奥会|中国花滑小将张瑞阳晋级女单自由滑
dōng ào huì zhōng guó huā huá xiǎo jiāng zhāng ruì yáng jìn jí nǚ shàn zì yóu huá
Winter Olympics|Chinese skater Zhang Ruiyang advances to women's singles free skate
由医生来决定某人何时该死是对的吗？
Yóu yīshēng lái juédìng mǒurén héshí gāi sǐ shì duì de ma?
Is it right for a doctor to decide when someone should die?
可以告诉我理由吗？
Kěyǐ gàosu wǒ lǐyóu ma?
Am I allowed to know the reason?
你有更好的理由吗？
Nǐ yǒu gèng hǎo de lǐyóu ma?
Do you have a better explanation?
在主任不在的时候，办公室由谁来负责？
Zài zhǔrèn bù zài de shíhou, bàngōngshì yóu shéi lái fùzé?
Who is in charge of the office while the boss is away?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 由 (yóu)?
Is 由 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 由 with real-time feedback
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