Because ... Therefore

When giving reasons in Mandarin Chinese, we use the word yīn wèi which means because.

The yīn wèi phrase explains the “why”, but the “what” must be explained with a second phrase which begins with suǒ yǐ (therefore).

The order of these two phrases is fixed: The yīn wèi phrase comes first and the suǒ yǐ comes second.
Chinese Characters

The Chinese characters of these two words are as follows:

    yīn wèi
    因為 (traditional)
    因为 (simplified)

    suǒ yǐ
    所以

Examples of Because … Therefore

    Yīnwei tā shēngbìng suǒyǐ méiyǒu lái shàngxué.
    She is sick, so she didn’t come to school.
    因為她生病所以沒有來上學｡ (trad)
    因为她生病所以没有来上学｡ (simp)

    Yīnwei wǒde qián bùgòu suǒyǐ méiyǒu mǎi.
    I didn’t have enough money so I didn’t buy it.
    因為我的錢不夠 所以沒有買｡ (trad)
    因为我的钱不够 所以没有买｡ (simp)

    Yīnwei xià dà xuě suǒyǐ fēijī tíng fēi.
    Because of the big snow, the flight was cancelled.
    因為下大雪所以飛機停飛｡ (trad)
    因为下大雪所以飞机停飞｡ (simp)