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由

yóu

1. preposition by (introducing the agent responsible for doing something)

   这件事就由你来决定吧。

   Zhè jiàn shì jiù yóu nǐ lái juédìng ba.

   Let this matter be decided by you.

2. preposition from (introducing a starting point, source or route)

   我们由北京出发，一路南下。

   Wǒmen yóu Běijīng chūfā, yī lù nán xià.

   We set out from Beijing and headed south all the way.

3. preposition (introducing the components something is made up of)

   水由氢和氧两种元素组成。

   Shuǐ yóu qīng hé yǎng liǎng zhǒng yuánsù zǔchéng.

   Water is composed of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen.

4. noun cause; reason

   他迟到的缘由，大家都能理解。

   Tā chídào de yuányóu, dàjiā dōu néng lǐjiě.

   Everyone can understand the reason for his being late.

5. verb to be up to (someone); to let (someone) decide

   信不信由你。

   Xìn bu xìn yóu nǐ.

   Believe it or not, it's up to you.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 由 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.