因为…所以
yīnwèi…suǒyǐ
Set the cause down and a bridge to the result appears
The picture A lump of cause set down in front, with an arrow running from it and landing on the result behind. 因为…所以 runs straight on from the cause; 虽然…但是 turns the road partway.
Where the picture shows up in 因为…所以
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Cause first, result after
因为下雨，所以今天的比赛取消了。
yīnwèi xià yǔ, suǒyǐ jīntiān de bǐsài qǔxiāo le
It rained, so today's match was called off.
a finger pointing at the rainy sky, then sliding across to the CANCELLED sign
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The reason tacked on behind
我今天请假，因为孩子生病了。
wǒ jīntiān qǐngjià, yīnwèi háizi shēngbìng le
I took the day off — my child is sick.
a leave slip pushed across the desk, then a photo of a sick child laid beside it
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Cause is a single word
因为天气，今天的航班都延误了。
yīnwèi tiānqì, jīntiān de hángbān dōu yánwù le
Because of the weather, every flight today is delayed.
DELAYED on every line of the airport board while only clouds show through the window
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Only the result side kept
他一直不接电话，所以我直接来公司了。
tā yīzhí bù jiē diànhuà, suǒyǐ wǒ zhíjiē lái gōngsī le
He kept not picking up, so I came straight to the office.
a phone set down mid-ring, then a door pushed open right away
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Pressing down on the cause
正因为有你们帮忙，所以我们提前完成了。
zhèng yīnwèi yǒu nǐmen bāngmáng, suǒyǐ wǒmen tíqián wánchéng le
It is exactly because you all helped that we finished early.
a palm pressing the spot where many hands are stacked, pointing at it
All of it in one picture
因为…所以 is a single arrow. Set the rain down first and the cancellation follows it; hand over the leave slip first and tack the sick child on behind — the same arrow. Whether the cause is one word like 'the weather', whether only the tail end survives as 所以, or whether a palm presses down on the cause to stress it, the direction never changes: front to back.