原型

• Pinyin: yuán xíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 原 = 厂 + 泉 (original source); 型 = 刑 + 土 (form/shape + earth — the mold/form in clay, hence model/type/prototype)

Meaning

Prototype; archetype; original model; the original person, thing, or concept upon which a fictional character or theoretical model is based.

Used in literature (the real person who inspired a fictional character), product design (the first functional model of a product), psychology (Jungian archetypes — 荣格原型理论), and engineering. 原型人物 (the real-life model for a character), 产品原型 (product prototype), and 神话原型 (mythological archetype) are common compounds. In Jungian theory, 原型 refers to universal unconscious patterns shared across cultures.

Examples

1. 研究者比对史料后发现，这部自传体小说的人物很可能以作者父亲为原型，且多处情节与档案记载吻合。 After comparing historical sources, researchers found that the character in this autobiographical novel was likely based on the author's father, and many plot points matched archival records.
2. 硅谷强调快速做原型，先用最小可行产品验证假设，再根据用户反馈持续迭代。 Silicon Valley emphasizes rapid prototyping: first use a minimum viable product to test assumptions, then keep iterating based on user feedback.
3. 荣格认为，神话、梦境和宗教仪式中普遍存在英雄、阴影等原型，构成集体无意识的基本结构。 Jung believed that myths, dreams, and religious rituals commonly contain archetypes such as the hero and the shadow, forming the basic structure of the collective unconscious.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, product design, psychology, engineering, mythology, film

Tone: intellectual

Do Say

• 原型阶段的价值不在完美成品，而在低成本暴露设计问题，为后续迭代提供数据。(The value of the prototype stage is not a perfect finished product, but exposing design problems at low cost and providing data for later iteration.)
• 比较神话学常通过原型分析创世神话，发现不同文化里常有相似叙事，这支持人类认知结构普遍性的假说。(Comparative mythology often uses archetypal analysis of creation myths and finds similar narratives across cultures, which supports the hypothesis that human cognitive structures are universal.)

Don't Say

• 他是那种典型人物的原型 — be specific about which sense is intended; clarify with 这个角色以他为原型 (this character is based on him) or 他是英雄原型的典型代表 (he is a typical embodiment of the hero archetype) to avoid ambiguity

Origin & History

原 (original/primary) + 型 (model/form/mold — 刑form + 土earth, the mold from which things are shaped). Together: the original mold or form — the first model from which copies or variations derive.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal