What is the closest mandarin translation to “everything happens for a reason”?

Question

I was told it was

事 出 必 有 因

Is this accurate? Or is there a better translation to be told. Also if I may get a mandarin pronunciation that would be also appreciated.

Answer 1

事 出 必 有 因 This is okay, and is literally saying "Things/Events (always) have a cause." pinyin would be shì chū bì yǒu yīn

I think there might be a nicer way to convey your meaning that isn't so literal. 事出有因 is the idiom version, saying "there is a reason (for it)" So this is a more succint form of the general message. pinyin shì chū yǒu yīn

In the opposite way you could say 萬事出有因 to emphasize the all things aspect. pinyin wàn shì chū yǒu yīn

Or one step further, 人生萬事出有因 All things in life have a meaning. pinyin rén shēng wàn shì chū yǒu yīn

萬事萬物出有因 goes even another step further, really emphasizing all things in nature have a meaning. pinyin wàn shì wàn wù chū yǒu yīn

These I think are some good alternate versions for your phrase, do note that the chinese does not imply a positive or negative to this. It is more just saying that there are not coincidences and there is cause and effect everywhere etc.

If you are looking for a translation that implies everything happens to help lead to a good outcome/final purpose, that is not conveyed by any of these.

For that purpose here is a link to a similar stack exchange that explores alternate translations:

Is “事出必有因” the most accurate translation for "everything happens for a reason"?

Answer 2

The correct translation of "事出必有因" is "Everything happens must have a reason". Note that the word "必(must)" can be eliminated, then it becomes the Chinese idiom:

事出有因 - [拼音] shì chū yǒu yīn ; [注音] ㄕˋ ㄔㄨ ㄧㄡˇ ㄧㄣ

[解释] - 事情的发生是有原因的。"Everything happens for a reason."

Answer 3

By which yardstick will you judge one translation better than the other?

Personally I like: 事出有因

Some examples I quickly found:

I mean, everything happens for a reason, right?
我的意思是，一切事情都有个原因，对不对？

Didn't she say that everything happens for a reason?
她不是说过凡事都有道理吗？

But always believe that, everything happens for a reason – a good reason.
但是请一定要相信，任何事情的发生都有其道理 - 一个不错的理由。

Everything happens for a reason, every damn thing.
每件事都事出有因，每件事。

2 成语 with similar meaning:

互为因果：指两件事情,互相促成,循环不已

事出有因：事情的发生是有原因的。

Answer 4

Almost correct but not accurate.

For the sentence "事出必有因", 必 states the inevitable relationship, so a better translation is "everything must happen for a reason"