Owing to the weather: 由于
HSK 5 Unit 3: Written Chinese · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 26 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can give a cause formally with 由于, and read and write short explanations and apologies.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 麻烦 mean?
That is 意外 (yìwài).
That is 负担 (fùdān).
Show the answer
Answer: B, trouble, troublesome.
麻烦 (máfan) means trouble, troublesome.
Characters
Which word means “please do not (written)”?
严肃 (yánsù) means serious, stern.
享受 (xiǎngshòu) means to enjoy, enjoyment.
Show the answer
Answer: C, 请勿.
“please do not (written)” is 请勿 (qǐngwù).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
与其说 yǔqí shuō
That would be 一旦 (yídàn).
That would be 输 (shū).
Show the answer
Answer: A, rather than saying.
You heard 与其说 (yǔqí shuō): rather than saying.
New words
由于
由于 (yóuyú) gives a cause, especially in writing. The result often comes with 因此 or 所以. 导致 (dǎozhì) and 造成 (zàochéng) are to cause, usually something negative.
由于天气原因，航班推迟起飞。
Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, hángbān tuīchí qǐfēi.
Owing to the weather, the flight has been delayed.
由于大雨，很多路都被关闭了。
Yóuyú dàyǔ, hěn duō lù dōu bèi guānbì le.
Due to heavy rain, many roads were closed.
这次事故造成了很大的损失。
Zhè cì shìgù zàochéng le hěn dà de sǔnshī.
This accident caused great losses.
Not:
由于下雨，但是比赛取消了。But: 由于下雨，比赛取消了。 Yóuyú xiàyǔ, bǐsài qǔxiāo le.
由于 gives the cause; don't add 但是.
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
An apology email
Xiao Zhou writes to clients after a delivery problem.
Listen first
Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.
Helpful words: 尊敬的 zūnjìng de dear, respected; 客户 kèhù client; 部分 bùfen part, some; 货物 huòwù goods; 未能 wèinéng could not; 不便 búbiàn inconvenience; 深表歉意 shēn biǎo qiànyì to sincerely apologise; 运输 yùnshū transport; 平时 píngshí usually; 减少 jiǎnshǎo to reduce; 换货 huànhuò to exchange goods; 退款 tuìkuǎn to refund; 事故 shìgù accident
Listening
Listen first. Why were deliveries late?
Show the answer
Answer: B, heavy snow.
由于上周的大雪.
Listening
What does the company offer?
Show the answer
Answer: B, a free exchange or refund.
免费为您换货或退款.
Show the text
尊敬的客户：
Dear customer,
由于上周的大雪，部分货物未能按时送到。
Owing to last week's heavy snow, some goods could not be delivered on time.
这给您带来了不便，我们深表歉意。
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this caused you.
大雪导致很多道路关闭，因此运输时间比平时长。
The snow caused many roads to close; therefore delivery took longer than usual.
为了减少您的损失，我们将免费为您换货或退款。
To reduce your losses, we will exchange the goods or refund you free of charge.
感谢您的理解和支持！
Thank you for your understanding and support!
Speak: listen, record, compare
Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.
Recordings stay in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and they disappear when you leave the page unless you save a copy of a task recording to your device yourself. Your browser asks for the microphone first.
Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
为了减少您的损失，我们将免费为您换货或退款。
Wèile jiǎnshǎo nín de sǔnshī, wǒmen jiāng miǎnfèi wèi nín huànhuò huò tuìkuǎn.
To reduce your losses, we will exchange the goods or refund you free of charge.
由于上周的大雪，部分货物未能按时送到。
Yóuyú shàngzhōu de dàxuě, bùfen huòwù wèinéng ànshí sòng dào.
Owing to last week's heavy snow, some goods could not be delivered on time.
大雪导致很多道路关闭，因此运输时间比平时长。
Dàxuě dǎozhì hěn duō dàolù guānbì, yīncǐ yùnshū shíjiān bǐ píngshí cháng.
The snow caused many roads to close; therefore delivery took longer than usual.
Practice
Meaning
What does 由于 mean?
That is 近 (jìn).
That is 走 (zǒu).
Show the answer
Answer: B, owing to, due to.
由于 (yóuyú) means owing to, due to.
Characters
Which word means “or (written)”?
于 (yú) means at, in, on (written).
输 (shū) means to lose (a game).
Show the answer
Answer: B, 或.
“or (written)” is 或 (huò).
Pinyin
How do you read 导致 (to lead to, to cause)?
Show the answer
Answer: B, dǎozhì.
导致 is read dǎozhì. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
造成 zàochéng
That would be 下载 (xiàzài).
That would be 价格 (jiàgé).
Show the answer
Answer: C, to cause, to result in.
You heard 造成 (zàochéng): to cause, to result in.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “loss” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 损失
“loss” is 损失 (sǔnshī).
Grammar
Which sentence is right?
Show the answer
Answer: A, 由于下雨，比赛取消了。.
由于下雨，比赛取消了。: 由于 + cause, result.
Fill the gap
Complete: The accident caused great losses.
事故＿＿了很大的损失。
Show the answer
Answer: B, 造成.
造成损失: cause losses.
In context
You must write formally that a meeting is cancelled because the manager is ill. How do you start?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 由于经理生病，….
由于经理生病，…: 由于: owing to.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for owing to the weather
Show the answer
Answer: 由于天气原因
由于天气原因: owing to the weather.
A formal explanation
Write and read aloud a short formal apology (five sentences) for a cancelled event.
- Give the cause with 由于.
- Say what it caused, with 导致 or 造成.
- Apologise and offer a solution.
Sentence frames
由于＿＿，＿＿。
Yóuyú ＿＿, ＿＿.
Owing to ..., ...
Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:
Review and finish
Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.
- I can give a formal cause with 由于.
- I can use 导致 and 造成 for negative results.
Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.